Mangrove dealers have appealed to Environment and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko (pictured) to lift the ban on logging, which was imposed in February.
They said the ban had caused economic misery for most residents who depended on mangroves. They asked to be allowed to sell what they had harvested before the ban was imposed.
One dealer, Mohamed Harun, claimed he had bought mangrove poles worth Sh2 million to transport to Mombasa and the Middle East before the ban, but had been denied a permit.
The traders claimed that before the ban, the country's mangrove forests had not been damaged by logging.
They said harvesting mangrove provided a livelihood for many residents of the county and that the ban had affected them. "In a day I would make up to Sh2,000 from the mangrove. However, since the ban, I have had to look for other ways of survival. Families have broken up. Many men have been left by their wives because they cannot provide for their families. Children are staying at home because school fees has not been paid. We are on the verge of losing everything,” said Hajji Badi.
