The reason for her shift in attitude is an unusual crime wave sweeping through villages in rural Kenya: firewood theft. But local assistant police chief Lawrence Micheni linked the crime to increasing demand for firewood in rural shopping centers, as fuel prices rise and buyers try to cut costs. Muthoni is fed up too, which is why she bought the hounds in January to patrol her farm at night, when most firewood theft occurs, she said. In Tharaka Nith county, where Muthoni lives, records at the environment court indicate that at least nine cases of firewood theft have been handled since January. Kenya’s forests, said growing restrictions on timber cutting by the government have denied rural Kenyans a basic and long-used fuel source.

Source: National Post July 15, 2019 03:00 UTC