NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 26 – Kitui Governor Kaluki Ngilu has refused to lift a charcoal ban in Kitui County.
The governor maintains that the ban continues as a way of helping conserve the environment.
She spoke when she presented herself for questioning before the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC).
Appearing before NCIC Chairman Francis Ole Kaparo, Ngilu denied allegations of incitement leading to ethnic animosity and the burning of property.
The governor maintained that the ban will be escalated to new levels with the eviction of hundreds of charcoal burners living in woodlands.
She was accompanied by the Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka who pointed fingers at her accusers saying it’s a witch-hunt.
In January, the governor, in consultations with the outgoing Kitui County Commissioner Boaz Cherutich imposed the ban on charcoal and sand harvesting for markets outside Kitui.
A truck was burnt this month as it transported charcoal from Mwingi to Nairobi in defiance of the ban as cases of citizen arrest were reported as the public tried to enforce the ban.