The government has put on notice residents of Kapsowar encroaching gazetted government forests.
Forest officials say they want to rehabilitate the area to return its former forest cover.
Speaking during a week of sensitization of the public at Sambirir, Lewis Obam Marakwet zone forest manager noted that the greatest threat to the forest in the area was encroachment and illegal logging adding that if the trend continues, people’s livelihoods will be endangered because of the diminishing water supply.
He called on those bordering the forests to adhere and respect the boundaries put in place and refrain from encroaching in the forests warning that forest officers will arrest anyone found carrying out illegal activities.
Obam also noted water catchment regions have been destroyed by cattle, most of which are unattended and roam freely, feeding on undergrowth and in the process destroying tender bamboo shoots which are crucial for water flow and retention.
He advised residents to form community forest associations so as to manage the forest resources, promising that more sustainable benefits would be enjoyed by the whole community through various opportunities.
By Rennish Okong’o
