The Milgis Trust

We have had some big fires last month in the Luggas as well, at least 100 Acacia Tortilis trees.. have been lost lost… [please see THANKS to Nature!! to know the value of these fabulous trees] Many were deliberately started by people who said that a leopard/lion had eaten a goat.. What have they achieved by doing this, because the carnivore moved on, and hundreds of dead trees are left?? One big fire, was a ‘mistake’, [actually the one in the bottom picture] in that a hungry traveller had stolen a goat to eat and he had hidden himself well in the thick bush on the side of the lugga, to cook the goat, but unfortunately his fire caught the bush, and he ran for it! Our scouts followed him, but when he threatened to shoot them they left him to go… Others are started by people extracting honey from bee hives, with the excitement of finding honey, they forget to put the fire out that they lit to smoke the bees out..

The elders visited the base to discuss this problem… They are very angry… ‘This burning has to stop’…They announced ‘Good, I’m glad you are now telling me’.. I answered.!! mmmmmm progress!! I feel…. But even better was the punishment for lighting fires!! If and when they catch the perpetrators, and this is usually quite easy as they check the mans tracks, generally every one here knows every one else’s tracks, its incredible!!.. If not they follow them back to the Manyattas [homestead].. What they will now do, is a group of elders will visit the homestead, in the evening and will start choosing goats that he will pay a fine with.. they will choose the best goats!! The fine will depend on how serious the fire was, and how many important trees were burnt!!.. Once he has paid his fine..He then has to throw a huge ’sikuku’ [party], for the community, before the elders will forgive and bless him..