Environment Committee To Summon CS, PS Over Failure To Appear To Respond Issues On Ngong And Eldoret Forests
The Mt Kenya Times 
Charles Kamuren during yesterday's session
By PSCU
The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Environment Forestry and Mining yesterday resolved to summon the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Forestry Mr. Gitonga Mugambi who will be required to appear in the company of the Cabinet Secretary (CS) in the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Dr. Deborah Barasa after failing to honour two Committee invites.
Yesterday’s committee sitting that was chaired by its vice chairman and Baringo South MP Charles Kamuren was meant to get clarification on issues surrounding Ngong Forest where there has been public uproar following the ongoing construction of a Hotel on public land and the under-valuation of the forest area in Moi International Airport, Eldoret where the market value is said to be KSh3 Billion and not the said KSh500 million.
“We had invited the PS to find the logic of the Ksh 500 million instead of Ksh 3 Billion market value. The same PS was to tell us what is happening in Ngong Forest which is public land, for the second time the PS and his team are sending us a letter signed by CS Deborah giving reasons not to appear,” Kamuren noted.
“This is a serious concern, this is a State Department that is not supporting the President’s agenda on Climate Action, under our Constitution Article 125 and our standing orders in Article 1, we hereby issue summons today 10th June 2025, PS Gitonga Mugambi and CS Dr. Deborah M. Barasa appears before this Committee on Thursday 19th June at 10am to respond to these issues”, Kamuren ruled.
Committee Members Titus Lotee (Kacheliba) and Joseph Emathe (Turkana Central) in their contribution asked that the Committee treats this issue with the seriousness it deserves, describing it as disrespect to the Committee and the entire August House.
“We invited the PS and his team to meetings even outside Parliament Buildings and they did not show up, we are asking this on behalf of Kenyans, remember the issues around logging that had started in the country, look at what has been happening in Karura forest, now Ngong Forest, trees are cut down and construction going on in our forests without a clear explanation, who is doing all these? Lotee asked.
“The Moratorium on logging was lifted however this was not done procedurally. Kenyans needed to understand which forests and tree species were classified for logging. The PS Forestry during his vetting pledged to have a green bond as part of the GDP of this country and this gave us hope. I am however disappointed since we are not told the truth on what is happening to Ngong Forest land and the Eldoret airport land, this Committee must act now Hon. Chair”, said Emathe.
In his closing remarks, Kamuren directed that all activities of construction, valuation and logging in Ngong and Moi International Airport forest land be stopped with immediate effect until the PS and CS appear to give a clarification.
In his letter to the committee yesterday, the CS pointed out that her PS was not available for the meeting as he was out of the country until today, requesting that the meeting be postponed to next week. This is the second time the meeting has been postponed following requests from the Ministry.
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