Kenya's deforestation

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1192784.stm

This site is a short news article about the deforestation plan in the foot of mount Kenya. This was long before about in 2001 before the elections. After the deforestation the government would plan on putting settlements there for the people to live. However, this plan was criticized and died out eventually. The fact that this plan was made before the elections shows that the government needed support from people about the upcoming elections and this act was not actually for the people. Also, the Minister who came about with the plan was not apologetic and said that he was doing what should have been done ten years ago. This adds on to the point that he had no intention to conserve and protect nature, but only minded in the upcoming elections and the support from the people in Kenya. He even added on by saying that the plan was a way of protecting the forest. I really don't see how deforestation in a way of protecting the forest. This is so hypocritical! This article shows that the Kenyan government was unstable at that particular time and that some people were depending more on the short-term benefits rather than the long-term benefits because they were looking to cut down trees for settlements instead of using them for fresh air reducing the carbon in the atmosphere, which China needs a lot.