Saving Mau should No longer be Negotiable

Saving Mau Forest Should Now be Treated as a National Security Concern
This “dark” month of August reminds me of a trip that I made to Dubai some years ago. I had never known how harsh the August weather conditions are, in this City situated in the heart of the Arabian Desert. Upon alighting from a Taxi which had driven me from the Dubai International Airport, my eyesight momentarily disappeared. My eye glasses were full of mist within seconds of stepping out of the air conditioned vehicle. I got confused as my world suddenly turned into darkness.

In this situation, I could not make any move until I waited for the natural adjustment, which luckily occurred immediately after the mist had evaporated in the hot air. The next thing was the experience of feeling like I had suddenly slipped into an oven. This was perhaps a natural reaction towards moving from the car’s very cool air conditioned environment, to the overly hostile temperature prevailing in the outside.

Bearing this recollection in mind, I am still coming to terms with recent reports to the effect that the Sahara Desert has been very fast encroaching Equatorial Africa. Northern Nigeria is slowly becoming part of the Sahara Desert. Soon, the renowned Congo Forest may be no more. In fact, it appears that Mother Nature cannot any more cope with man’s foolish efforts of destroying his own habitat.

Ironically, we are facing the same situation here at home. Full grown men and women have waged a political war against restoration of the Mau forest. This forest became a victim of the very chronic disease that has been persistently afflicting many Kenyans known as ‘grabiosis.’ 

When there were seemingly no more plots to grab in Nairobi and other main towns, the leadership of those days turned towards empowering their own through desecration of the Mau Forest. The custodians of our national resources took the issue of this forest for granted. They assumed that harnessing of national water resources was a natural occurrence just like night follows day and vise versa. They never at any one time thought of the repercussions of the subsequent mismanagement, to the national water table. By the way, were we not recently told that Mombasa City may be no more in only 20 years?

Upon careful consideration of the underling issues, this appears to be possible if you can reason with me. But first, basic science indicates that 75% of the human body is made up of water. It is no wonder then that a dead body immediately shrinks into a very small size within only a matter of days.

Right now, our water requirements especially in Nairobi are substantially being acquired from underground borehole resources. Notably, this situation can only be sustainable in the short term as man attempts to survive longer in the fight against his own environment. But, does anybody ever think about the repercussions?

Like a dead body’s loss of water, the earth’s water table is continually being depleted. This effectively means that the earth’s surface will continually set at lower levels. In fact, one does not need to be a scientist to see that, loss of this underground water mass without constant replenishment from rainwater especially, will eventually give in to this sinking of the ground’s surface.  And as this surface sinks, the lowest points on the land mass will naturally become part of the sea.

Notably, the sea will always be replenishing its water resources through convectional rains. So, as the sea retains or even heightens its levels, the adjacent land mass will be sinking. No wonder, Mombasa City and others could be history in the next 20 years.

Meanwhile, I will not be cowed by anybody who thinks that my sometimes strategic or critical views could be radical or controversial. In any case, Professor Wangari Mathaai has since the early 80’s been warning us about the dangers of not conserving our environment. We are now in the thick of things. As a whole nation, we are facing the consequences of ignoring the Professor’s warnings.

We are going through dark moments in the nation. Our national economy will now be hard hit by reduced hydro electric power generation, which has led to the ongoing electricity rationing. Many jobs will be lost especially in the informal sector which cannot sustain idle employees especially during the rationing periods. Cost of producing goods and services will likewise skyrocket as businesses turn to the more expensive alternative sources of energy, the foremost being diesel generators. Besides, businesses will be producing below their performance potentials.

Sadly, when business performance slackens, the national tax revenue equally reduces. The government will naturally not meet its obligations as outlined in the current and probably future national budgets.

Food security is likewise threatened. Without rains, there will be little food produced even for national consumption. A country without food for its nationals is one whose peace and stability is naturally threatened.

Livestock production is at the moment at an all time low. Therefore, the destruction of Mau Forest presents a grave situation to the very livelihood and peaceful continuity of our nation.

Like was the case during my trip to Dubai, we are now experiencing the early warnings of desertification, which could gradually set in. Sadly, a list of the presumed grabbers of Mau Forest comprises of a huge majority of people who are well educated. Led by insatiable greed, these people decided to care only for their own, rather than national interests.

This therefore, leaves us with the inevitable conclusion that continued politicking about reforestation of the Mau should from now on be treated as a threat to our own national security. We should not any more continue annoying Mother Nature through politicking on this national resource. Indeed, no efforts should be spared  spared in reclaiming the Mau Forest.

 Mwangi Wanjumbi is the Managing Consultant and Chief Trainer of Newtimes Business Solutions
www.newtimesconsultants.com