Kilifi,KENYA: Kaya elders have called on the government to help in the protection and conservation of Kaya forests in the coast region.
Led by the Mijikenda Kaya Elders Association chairman Mwinyi Mwalimu, the elders said that they alone, could not protect the forests from encroachment by youthful loggers and charcoal burners.
Mwinyi added that most Kaya forests in the region had been encroached into and that if nothing is done they could be extinct in the near future.
He said that Kaya Shungwaya in Magarini Sub County was the most affected and had been abandoned by elders due to threats from illegal loggers and charcoal burners.
“ Security agencies and the Kenya Forest Service should respond to our plea so that they can salvage our heritage and prayer sites”, he said.
