State implements ban on grazing within forested lands
By Charity Kilei |
Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya announced this on Monday, stressing the need for forest restoration due to significant destruction.
The government has implemented a ban on grazing in public forests ahead of a demarcation process.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya announced this on Monday, stressing the need for forest restoration due to significant destruction.
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"Forests are not areas for human habitation. We have destroyed so much in our forests that it is now time to restore them," she said at Kona Baridi in Ngong, Kajiado County, during the launch of the second phase of national tree planting.
Tuya said all public forests will undergo demarcation and fencing to prevent encroachment.
In his address, Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku highlighted the importance of protecting newly planted trees until maturity, pledging to use tanks for consistent watering through drips to compensate for erratic rainfall patterns.
“We shall bring two big tanks to water these trees through drips until we regain our natural rain patterns,” he said.
Ole Lenku also mentioned the county’s progress in restoring five major water sources out of the county's 17, attributing their depletion to changing weather patterns, environmental degradation, and resource overexploitation.
He expressed support for the national government's initiative, where Cabinet Secretaries will participate in monthly tree-planting events in various counties.
Human encroachment in the country, particularly in forests, has been escalating. In 2018–2019, the government evicted over 35,000 people from forest lands in the Sierra Leone and Nkoben areas of Narok South Sub-county.
Concerns were raised about the Maasai Mau Forest in Narok, with approximately 23,000 hectares being invaded by illegal encroachers last year.
In 2023, Rift Valley Region Commissioner Abdi Hassan spoke of efforts hindering the protection of forests, such as deals between police officers and encroachers who cut down trees under their watch to open up farmland.
As such, Abdi directed people farming on forest land to vacate immediately, warning of arrest and court charges for non-compliance.
He noted the urgency of resolving issues surrounding the Mau Forest, cautioning against politicising the natural resource.
“I will personally preside over evictions in the Mau Forest. This is a government that not only talks but also takes action. We will ensure that we secure, recover, and restore the Mau Forest immediately,” he said.
The Ogiek community residing in the forest was also warned against engaging in activities that harm it as this would lead to their eviction.
Among the state agencies mandated to protect the forest are the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), county rangers, the Kenya Water Towers, and the office of the county commissioner.
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