Kakamega County is partnering with forest associations and environment conservationists to increase forest cover from 9.81 per cent to 10 per cent by 2025.
The County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of Environment, Water, Natural resources and Climate Change Peninah Mukabane called upon Community members to participate in protecting forests and trees by using alternative sources of fuel like Biogas, Briquettes pressure cookers which are clean sources of energy.
The CECM said efforts towards increasing the county’s forest cover will also contribute towards President William Ruto’s initiative of growing 15 billion trees by 2032.
She said Kakamega has set a target of planting 5million trees every year with more efforts directed towards raising tree seedlings, implementing participatory forest management plans to create awareness and enable communities to internalize climate conservation ethos.
“We are also working with learning institutions to socialize children in environmental consciousness,” she noted.
Ms Mukabane said the county government has supported three groups per sub county with tree nursery establishment infrastructure especially polytubes and seeds to raise at least 1.5million trees for conservation of riparian corridor and water catchment areas.
She also said the county government has supported five groups with modern tree nursery infrastructure with a capacity to raise 80 000 tree seedlings per nursery per season.
“We are keen in planting high value trees to promote non-consumptive use of forest products while collaborating with the national government to develop policies and regulations for natural resource extraction particularly in regards to artisanal mining,” she pointed out.
The CECM said Kakamega County is also establishing woodlots by planting and maintaining tree seedlings in public institutions per ward every financial year.
Some of the institutions benefiting from woodlots are Mukulusu, Senyende, Madiolo primary school, Shamakhubu health centre, Makuyu dispensary and Luanda Secondary School.
“We are mapping out forest resources elsewhere in the county and this includes Malava forest, Lugari forest and Bunyala forest with the aim of protecting our carbon sink,” the CECM added.
The county government, she said, is also actively seeking to secure the support of climate Fund,ecosystem rehabilitation fund and landscape restoration fund to implement land restoration programmes without disrupting lives due to the encroachment of fragile ecosystems such as forests, wetlands and hilltops.
“Through the Financing Locally Led Climate Change Action (FLLOCA) program we hope to increase the level of climate proof infrastructure,” she added.
She called on communities in the county to develop a caring attitude towards the ecosystem just like the South Coast communities like the Digo and Duruma to whom the Kaya Forest is sacred.
“We intend to build closer ties with the Kenya Forestry Research Institute to have better ways of dealing with invasive species that destroy more resourceful plant varieties. We will also start a conversation with authorities in the construction industry on how we can curb sand harvesting along graven roads as this is threatening to destroy our road infrastructure,” the CECM added.
By Moses Wekesa
