The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) has threatened legal action against ongoing logging activities in the Aberdare Forest, warning that poorly managed tree harvesting could threaten water supplies and expose communities downstream to food shortages.

The party’s leaders raised the concerns during a church service in Lari, Kiambu County, alleging that the exercise was being conducted hastily and could benefit a few individuals at the expense of communities that depend on the forest’s water catchment.

Leaders Raise Concerns Over Water and Food Security

Nyandarua Senator John Methu and Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia were among the leaders questioning the scale and management of the logging exercise.

The leaders warned that the Aberdares play a vital role in supplying water to rivers that support households, farming and other economic activities. They argued that continued destruction of the catchment could affect agricultural production and increase the risk of famine in communities that rely on those water sources.

Methu questioned whether the activity was genuinely limited to thinning, while Muhia argued that the forest was gazetted as a water catchment rather than a timber resource. The leaders called on the relevant authorities to publish detailed information about the harvesting plan.

Forest Authorities Defend the Logging Exercise

The concerns come amid growing public debate over trucks transporting timber from the Aberdares. Nyandarua County Forest Conservator Daniel Mkung has maintained that authorised sawmillers are harvesting mature and over-mature trees from designated commercial plantations under approved work plans.

Forest authorities say the operation targets planted exotic trees rather than indigenous forest, while sawmillers argue that controlled harvesting generates government revenue, supplies timber and allows replanting. According to previous reports, 50 sawmillers were authorised to operate in designated plantations.

The dispute centres on whether the exercise is being implemented within approved limits and whether adequate safeguards are protecting the forest’s water-catchment functions.

DCP Considers Legal Action

DCP leaders say they may move to court to stop the activities if their concerns are not addressed. Their demands include greater transparency about the areas being logged, the number of trees approved for harvesting and the environmental safeguards in place.

The controversy has also prompted calls from other political leaders for an independent environmental audit to establish the extent of any damage.