Th Kenya Forest Service (KFS) will employ 1, 500 rangers this financial year to assist in manning forests across the country, the KFS Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Julius Kamau has said.
Kamau said that those employed would boost the number of rangers in the field in order to conserve the environment.
“The gaps in terms of capacity are known and they are basically registered. We know the numbers of rangers is not enough. We have a plan with the support of the government and Treasury to employ and this will boost the numbers in the field,” said Kamau when he paid a courtesy call on the Makueni County Commissioner (CC), Maalim Mohammed in his Wote office on Tuesday.
Consequently, the chief conservator of forest said that the rangers could never be enough, hence they would engage with the community forest associations around forests and then become partners to protect these ecosystem.
In this regard, Kamau said they want to create awareness among the public that KFS came to help the people to secure their livelihood and for posterity.
“We want where our rangers are not available, the community can protect the forests because this is their resource. We want the people to realize we are the best allies they can have in conservation. We are actually helping them to secure their livelihood and future. When there is no water, who suffers most but the people,” said the chief conservator of forests.
Kamau had come to Makueni to visit the Katende, Makuli and Mataa forests that have had a total of 37 hectares burned by arsonists this year and to see how best to conserve the ecosystem in the area.
In the recent past, there have been fires in the months of February/March and June/July that have resulted to the destruction of forests in the area.
Mohammed said that the fires were put out with the help of both the national and county governments and the community.
Concerning tree planting, the CC said that they have heeded the presidential directive and planted tree seedlings in various parts of the county including institutions.
By Patrick Nyakundi
