President William Ruto has ordered the firing of twenty-three government employees at the Kenya Forest Service (KFS).
Speaking during the pass-out parade of new KFS recruits, President Ruto said that officers who are corrupt, incompetent and those who have contributed to destruction of forests should be removed from office.
“Those who have contributed to the deterioration of our forest cover must be fired and prosecuted. From tomorrow I don’t want them in the government pay roll,” said Ruto.
Further, the president said the board should remove the officers as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) concludes investigations for their prosecution.
“Twenty-three forest managers and rangers have already been identified, those who have been found either compromised, incompetent or engage in corruption in this space that has led to the destruction of our forest assets, I have instructed the board to remove them from being officers and workers of the government,” emphasized the President Ruto.
Additionally, the president said these officers are saboteurs who encourage the destruction of forest cover.
“We will not allow the few people engaged in criminal activities to deny us the opportunity to exploit our commercial forest assets for the growth of our country and economy.
“We will deal firmly with them, we will be decisive and give ourselves the opportunity to use our forest assets responsibly and sustainably to grow our economy, jobs as we grow our country,” he said.
Ruto on KFS Clean Up
Moreover, President Ruto explained that there will be a thorough clean up in the KFS to weed out such officials.
“I have instructed the ministry to make sure that the tragedy that had become of the Kenya forest and environmental conservation must come to an end,” he said.
Also, Ruto said his administration will take necessary steps to protect the environment, forests and make sure the good officers at KFS have an opportunity to serve the nation with integrity.
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NYS & KFS Partnership
Additionally, the president congratulated the National Youth Service (NYS) for working with KFS in sharing the training facilities.
“This is the true spirit of one government approach, we must continue to share all the facilities we have either for training or any other reason so that to make sure that we use optimally all the infrastructure that we have at our disposal,” stated Ruto.
Furthermore, he hailed the management of KFS for promoting locally made uniforms and shoes for the new KFS graduates.
” I have already issued instruction going forward that all uniforms, shoes, and other items of clothing required by all our security services must be manufactured locally by our companies and Kenyan young people,” said the president.
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Officers Terms of Service
Further, the president said his government will continuously refine and review the terms of service of all officers.
“We have just concluded one for our police, prison and NYS. We will embark on KFS and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to see how they too can work in an environment where Kenyans appreciate their contribution towards making the country sustainable,” he explained.
He commended the graduates and urged them to diligently serve the country to help save the planet from climate disaster.
