UPDATE 27th Jan. 2007
MP sought over sandalwood logs
By Steve Mkawale
Police in Nakuru are looking for an MP implicated in the recovery of Sh75million logs of endangered tree species.
Area OCPD Mr Titus Yoma said they have launched a man-hunt for Eldama Ravine MP Mr Musa Sirma after he allegedly failed to comply with their request to record a statement on the 20-tonne consignment of the rare sandalwood tree.
" We are now looking for Sirma who has ignored our request to come and shed light on the consignment recovered at his Nakuru residence," said Yoma.
A combined force of armed KWS rangers, forest guards and regular police on Tuesday raided Sirma’s palatial home in Nakuru’s Milimani estate and recovered the logs stashed in gunny bags in a garage.
Yoma said a crackdown on poachers of the endangered tree species has so far netted more than 30 tonnes of the logs, some of which were packed ready for export to Dubai.
Conservationists have called for immediate action to save the sandalwood tree, which is listed in the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list of threatened species.
"The remnants of the wood must be conserved and exploited in a sustainable way," IUCN’s Regional Programme Coordinator, Dr Geoffrey Howard, said.
Howard added: "Efforts must be made to guard against over-harvesting of the tree, whose wood and scent are highly valued for their and medicinal ingredients."
He said the overall aim of the Red List is to convey the urgency and scale of conservation problems to the public and policymakers.
The sandalwood tree is reputed as effective against the killer hepatitis B. Its roots are also claimed to have medicinal qualities and the pith is considered sacred in some parts of Asia.
