World Ranger Day: KFS Officers Narrate Near-Death Encounters at the Hands of Illegal Loggers
- Some of the KFS rangers came out to share their harrowing experiences at the hands of illegal loggers
- One of the rangers narrated an encounter with two loggers inside the Aberdare Forest who wanted to chop his head off
- They spoke as KFS celebrated 16 forest rangers killed in the line of duty during the commemoration of World Ranger Day
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Nakuru: Kenya Forest Service (KFS) rangers have decried constant harassment and mistreatment, which they often face from illegal loggers, with some encounters rendering some of them crippled.
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The rangers said that despite putting a lot of effort into protecting the natural heritage, their lives are in danger from cartels exploiting natural resources.
They shared their experiences on a day KFS was celebrating 16 rangers who died while in the line of duty.
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How KFS officers endanger their lives to protect forests
Speaking at the event held at Ndundori Forest Station during the commemoration of World Ranger Day, some of the rangers described their horrible moments at the hands of the perpetrators in the forests.
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Forester Royan Ambeyi recounted a day he fought two illegal loggers inside the Aberdare Forest as one tried to chop his head, while the other tried to cut his leg.
"When the one who wanted to chop my head approached me menacingly, I used the stick I had in my hand to block him, and he missed my head, but the other one got my knee,” Ambeyi said.
He noted that he suddenly became unconscious due to the deep cut that extended to the bone marrow.
"I was assisted by my colleagues who gave me first aid before being taken to Engineer Hospital for treatment,” he said.
Another forester, Peter Chepkwony, also said that he had sustained injuries at the hands of a brutal illegal logger.
The officers called on KFS to give them risk allowance, arguing that some of them have become crippled due to the attacks in the forest.
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Despite the harrowing tales of the KFS rangers, brutal attacks by locals found in the forest have often cast them in a bad light for violating human rights.
How KFS plans to avert conflict with community
However, Kenya Forest Service Commandant Mohamed Ahmed affirmed their commitment to enhancing respect for human rights among the officers to avert perennial conflicts.
"We are doing our best to address these conflicts, which are tainting the reputation of the service to ensure that we minimise such instances," Ahmed said.
It is only on Wednesday, July 30, that a Kabarnet High Court ordered the arrest of five KFS officers over the destruction of properties of a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer worth KSh 700,000.
Justice Rachel Ngetich, in her ruling, said that the officers should be brought to face the charges of breaking into the building and committing the offence.
Is KFS well-equipped?
TUKO.co.ke previously reported that the government had announced the roll-out of a KSh 2.8 billion project aimed at ensuring KFS is equipped with the latest tools to handle fires.
Some of the equipment purchased under the initiative includes modern fire trucks and drones.
They will be deployed in several key forests across the country, including Mau, Aberdares and Mt. Kenya.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Joshua Cheloti (Editorial assistant) Joshua Cheloti is a multi-skilled journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication and is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media and Communication at Mount Kenya University. At TUKO, he's an editorial assistant. Before TUKO, he worked at Nairobi Review as an editorial writer, at Hope Media (Hope TV and Hope FM) as a correspondent in Eldoret, Hivisasa.com digital content editor and online writer, at Biblia Husema Broadcasting (BHB), Eldoret as Radio Presenter. Email: Joshua.cheloti@tuko.co.ke
Elijah Cherutich A trained Kenyan journalist with over 10 years of experience in radio and digital media. I am currently based in Nakuru city in the Rift Valley region working as a TUKO.co.ke correspondent.
