ISIOLO, Kenya – The Kenyan government has successfully put out the fires that had mainly affected animal pastures in Chenab and Garbatula sub-counties in Isiolo County.
Speaking at Sericho on Sunday, January 26, the Principal Secretary for Internal Security and National Administration, Raymond Omollo, and his Forest colleague PS Gitonga Mugambi said emergency teams were dispatched to the two vast areas immediately after the raging fires started.
Why PS Raymond Omollo warned Isiolo locals
The PS said claims of whether herdsmen or honey harvesters caused the fires were being investigated and warned locals against reckless lighting of fires in the area during dry and windy seasons.
Also present were the Chief Conservator of Forests, Alex Lemarkok, and Isiolo County Commissioner Geoffrey Omoding.
The devastating wildfires had so far ravaged over 2,500 hectares of grassland in Cherab and Garbatula Sub-counties.
“This visit underscores the government’s commitment to addressing this crisis and supporting the multi-agency teams and local communities on the ground,” said PS Omollo.
PS Omollo said that the government remains steadfast in its resolve to scale up containment measures and ensure a swift recovery for the affected areas.
Why there was public uproar in Isiolo County
Earlier, Y News reported that a group of elders and human rights activists in Isiolo County urged the government to expedite efforts to put out the fire that broke out in the region.
The fire, which started in Merti Sub-County, consumed ten square km of grazing areas in the region.
Mohamed Konso, the chairperson of the Borana Council of Elders, led the villagers in expressing concern that if an immediate solution was not found to put out the fire, catastrophic losses, including the deaths of large numbers of cattle, would occur.
The cause of the inferno has yet to be identified.
“We are yet to establish the cause of this inferno, but rumours are that it is a result of accidental fire,” said Konso.
The Kenya Red Cross said its volunteers have supported locals and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers in containing the Sericho fire for the last two days.
As the fire spread, there were concerns that it could have reached residential areas and burnt homes and local institutions in the Iresaburu, Bodana, and Sericho areas.
