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THE FORESTER :: JANUARY - MARCH 2016 1

International Day of ForestsNew FCC Chairpersons Appointed

5.1 Million Hectares of Forests to be Restored

A Quarterly Magazine of The Kenya Forest Service : Issue No. 18 : January - March 2016

THE FORESTER :: JANUARY - MARCH 20162

FROM THE EDITOR

In this issue of the Forester Magazine, the KFS Board appointed new chairmen to head the ten forest conservancy areas in Kenya. The chairmen were taken through a three day induction workshop in Nakuru where the Director familiar-ised them with the Service’s Mandate, the Forest Act 2005 as well as their new duties and responsibilities at the conser-vancy level. The FCC has an important role in forest manage-ment as they are the link between the Service and the various stakeholders in the forestry sector. Elsewhere, the Service together with the County of Taita Taveta signed a Transition Implementation Plan (T.I.P) for the devolved forestry functions for the county. The plan involves discussions, consultations and collaboration be-tween the Central and County governments on plans to un-dertake devolved functions. The Service also celebrated the United Nations Inter-national Day of Forests (IDF) at a colorful event at the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company in Ruai and in selected loca-tions in all conservancies. This year’s theme ‘Forests and Water’ aims at rais-ing awareness on the importance of forests and the ways in which forests and trees sustain livelihoods and protect the environment. It was also a good opportunity for members of the public to be educated on matters of conservation and sus-tainable management of forestry resources. KFS staff joined delegates from across the continent to attend the 20th Session of African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC) conference that took place from 1st - 5th February, 2016 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre under the theme “Sustainable Management of Forests and Wildlife in Africa: Enhancing Values, Benefits and Ser-vices”. The conference was officially opened by the Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Regional Development Authorities Prof. Judi Wakhungu. The KFS Director Emilio Mugo was appointed as Chair of the FAO African Forestry and Wildlife Commission for a period of two years running from 2016 – 2018.

EDITOR - Anne KaariSUB EDITORS - Charles Ngunjiri - Leakey SonkoyoSTAFF WRITERS - Caroline Kahuria - Lydia Ogada - Michael Muratha - Susan Ndethiu - Pamela Gatwiri - Benedetta Wasonga - Royan Ndegwa - Evelyne Macharia - Mellitah TengesCONTRIBUTORS - Alfred GichuDESIGN - [email protected] - Pavens Communication Printers

EDITORIAL TEAM IN THIS ISSUE

DISCLAIMER

A cross-section of Chuka Forest in Tharaka Nithi

Anne Kaari

03 - DIRECTORS FORWARD

04 - LEAD STORY

09 - NEWS ROUND-UP

12- PROJECT NEWS

14 - PICTORIALS

16 - FEATURES

17 - PROJECT NEWS

21 - ECO TOURISM

22 - CROSS CUTTING ISSUES

23 - STATION PROFILE

24 - SPORTS NEWS

25 - FROM THE FILES

26 - HUMOUR AND LEISURE

28 - KNOW YOUR TREES

For these and more, I welcome you to read and enjoy your copy of the Forester Magazine. Please feel free to give us your feed-back regarding the Magazine and any other issues touching on forestry. Happy reading


The importance of forests to all spheres of life can-not be gainsaid. This is why all countries are committing themselves to reduce forest degradation and increase the world’s forest cover. Hence too the reason the United Na-tions designated the 21st of March every year to be the In-ternational Day of Forests which is marked by all member countries by engaging in various activities. Kenya was not left behind as we marked this important day by planting trees at Chemususu Dam in Koibatek, Baringo County. The run-ning theme for this year was “forests and water”. The event was presided over by our Cabinet Secretary for Environment Prof. Judi Wakhungu. On another front, the Service was able to hand over devolved forestry functions to the Taita Taveta County at a colourful ceremony in Wundanyi. The actual transfer which involved signing of Transition Implementation Plans (TIPs) between the Kenya Forest Service Director and the Governor of Taita Taveta County His Excellency Eng. John Mruttu was also witnessed by our Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary for Environment Dr. Margaret Mwakima. Transfer of devolved forestry functions is a Constitutional require-ment and KFS has identified 21 functions to be devolved. The process of devolving these functions is continuing. Kenya was honoured to host the 20th session of the Africa Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC) conference in Nairobi. The AFWC is one of the six regional forestry com-missions of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The others cover the regions of Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Near East and North America. Its purpose is to advise on the formulation of forest and wildlife management policy and to review and coordinate

KFS will be awarding one lucky winner of the ‘Star Letter’ .Write to us with your comments and queries for a chance towin the below branded merchandise.

People have now realized that natural resources are fi-nite and must therefore be utilized sustainably if mankind hopes to continue depending on them. This can only be done through conserving our environment and educating the public on the im-portance of tree planting like KFS is doing through participation in the agricultural shows and through their various projects such as Green Schools and Commercial tree growing and Devolution in the forestry sector. These are some of the ways to increase the country’s forest cover to at least 10% as well as to share experience in sus-tainable management of forest resources in order to reduce the effects of climate change happening in the country and around the world at large.Charles Ngari GithaigaMukuruwe-iniNyeri------REPLYCharles,Thank you for your letter and for your continued interest in for-estry conservation.Kindly collect a copy of the previous 3 issues of the Forester magazine and your branded merchandise at the Ecosystem Conservator’s office in your area.Editor

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

WORD FROM THE DIRECTORWORD FROM THE DIRECTOR

BE THE LUCKY WINNER!!!

Kenya Forest Service@KeForestService [email protected] www.kenyaforestservice.org

its implementation at the regional level; to exchange information and, generally through special Subsidiary Bodies, to advise on suitable practices and action in regard to technical problems and to make appropriate recommendations in relation to the fore-going. During the conference, I was honoured to be elected the Chairman of the Commission for the next two years. Emilio Mugo

KFS Director

KFS Director - Emilio Mugo

Kenyaforest


Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Regional Development Authorities Prof. Judi Wakhungu (center), KFS Board Chairman Peter Kinyua (2nd left) KFS Director Emilio Mugo (left) and Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi (Right) take part in dance ceremony with community members during this year’s International Day of Forests celebrations held at Chemususu Primary School, Koibatek, Baringo County.

LEAD STORY

Kenya Forest Service marks International Day of ForestsBy Lydia Ogada and Benedetta Wasonga The United Nations General assemblies proclaimed 21st March as the International Day of Forests in 2012. This day celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of forests. The theme for the 2016 celebrations was ‘Forests and Water’ signifying the vital role that forests play as the planet’s supply of fresh water, which is essential for life.

On each International Day of Forests, countries are encouraged to organize activities involving forests and trees such as tree planting campaigns at local, regional and national levels. The selection of this year’s theme underscores the importance of protecting and conserving our forests for enhanced provision of water resources for domestic water supply, irrigation. Hydropower generation, biodiversity conservation and resilience against adverse effects of climate change.

This year’s IDF celebrations were held on 21st March 2016 at Chemususu Primary School, Koibatek Baringo County. The Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Natural Resources and

Regional Development Authorities Prof. Judi Wakhungu was the Chief Guest at the event. She was accompanied by the Governor of Baringo County Benjamin Cheboi, the KFS Board Chairman Peter Kinyua and the KFS Director Emilio Mugo. Also present at the event were senior members of staff from KFS as well as from the County.

Speaking at the event, the Cabinet Secretary said that Kenya had committed to rehabilitating 5.1 million hectares of degraded forests. She called on all Kenyans and stakeholders to join hands in planting trees to ensure the country achieves a 10% forest cover.

Meanwhile, Nairobi County joined other Counties in celebrating the International Day of Forests (IDF) at a colorful event at the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company in Ruai that brought together various Government Ministries, Non Governmental Organizations and other private stakeholders in the County.

Led by the Nairobi County Director of Agriculture, Livestock & Fisheries, Forestry and Natural Resources, Mrs. Anne Kiruri who was also the chief guest and accompanied by the Nairobi Eco-System Conservator Mrs. Mary Mwai

and other KFS officers, the County and Service officers took part in celebrating the occasion, which presented a perfect opportunity to educate the public on matters of conservation.

Mrs. Kiruri noted that Nairobi County in partnership with KFS had achieved huge milestones in its efforts to protect and conserve forests by actively engaging local communities in Participatory Forest Management. “I am optimistic that we will achieve the vision 2030 goal of attaining 10% forest cover thereby increasing water supply in the County and in Kenya at large. Let us be proud of our forests.” she said. Her sentiments were echoed by the Nairobi Eco-system Conservator who also lauded the efforts of the area local youth and women groups in conserving forests. She added that KFS officers were ready and available on the ground to work with them to ensure that their mission is achieved. “It is my sincere hope that the local self help groups will engage more in tree growing activities for a better future.”

The event was marked in several other Counties and in all the Service’s ten Conservancies.


LEAD STORY

By Royan Ndegwa

Kenya Forest Service in conjunction with Taita Taveta County on 29th January 2016 marked the signing of the Transition Implementation Plans (TIPs) for the devolved forestry functions in the county. The process of devolving forestry functions to counties began in 2014 and Taita Taveta County became the first to sign the TIPs thereby devolving the forestry functions to be performed by the county.

In attendance to grace the momentous occasion was the Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Regional Development Authorities Prof. Judi Wakhungu the Principal Secretary Natural Resources and Regional Development Authorities Dr. Margaret Mwakima, the Governor of Taita Taveta County His Excellency. Eng. John Mruttu, former KFS Chairman Mr. Peter Kirigua, KFS Director Mr. Emilio Mugo among other guests.

The plan was drawn following intense discussions and consultations among various stakeholders including county governments, the Transition Authority, civil society and other players in the forestry sector through which 21 forestry functions identified for devolvement were unpacked and a road map for actual transfer of the functions was developed and adopted. This followed a series of regional meetings which brought on board all the 47 counties.

Taita Taveta County thus became the first one to adopt its Transitional Implementation Plans (TIPs) at a ceremony in Wundanyi where the Director of Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and the Governor formally signed the plans.

Among the devolved functions include the management of community and trust lands, management of

forests formally under the local authorities, farm forestry and movement of forestry products including charcoal. Taita Taveta County will also take over the management of 44 forest blocks in the county.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Cabinet Secretary Prof. Judi Wakhungu congratulated the county government for being the first to sign the TIPs. She urged other counties to expedite the transfer of the devolved functions saying that this will help the counties increase their revenue bases while playing their part in the conservation of forests. The Cabinet Secretary reiterated the Ministry’s support and guidance in the process of helping counties adopt the devolved functions.

The KFS Director assured the county government of the Service’s support in building their capacity in forestry. “KFS will continue to work with county governments to assist them develop capacity in forestry management evernt after the transfer of the devolved functions,” added Mr. Mugo.

Meanwhile, Laikipia became the second county to adopt devolved forestry function after the Governor His Excellency Joshua Irungu and the KFS Director signed the county’s plan at a colourful ceremony which also marked the launch of the 2016 long rains national tree planting launch.

Taita Taveta County finalizes itsTransition Implementation Plan

KFS Director Emilio Mugo (seated left) and the Governor of Taita Taveta County His Excellency Eng. John Mruttu signs a Transition Implementation Plan document for devolved forestry functions at a ceremony in Wundanyi witnessed by the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Natural Resources and Regional Development Authorities Prof. Judi Wakhungu, former KFS Board Chairman Mr. Peter Kirigua and Principal Secretary Ministry of Environment Dr. Margaret Mwakima.

KFS will continue to work with county governments to assist

them develop capacity in forest-ry management evernt after the

transfer of the devolved functions

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By Evelyne Macharia

The 20th Session of African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC) and the Fourth African Forestry and Wildlife Week (AFWW) took place on 1st -5th February, 2016 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre under the theme “Sustainable Management of Forests and Wildlife in Africa: Enhancing Values, Benefits and Services”. The theme had been purposely selected by the AFWC Bureau to highlight and implement the many facets of sustainable management of forestry and wildlife, and to fully capture their importance in sustaining the livelihood of millions of people, supporting sustainable development in the region. The 4th African Forestry and Wildlife Week (AFWW) had the added objective of drawing the attention of policy

makers to the contribution of forests and wildlife to the National economy and also to the improvement of the livelihoods of the populations. FAO and invited individuals from the public and private sectors and the academia made keynote presentations on diverse issues under the theme with varying emphasis on the social, economic and environmental values of forests and wildlife and the need for their sustainable management. AFWC 20 and AFWW 4 provided an opportunity for forests, wildlife managers and custodians of related natural resources to exchange knowledge, information and experiences to help inform policy at National and sub-regional levels. KFS staff joined delegates from across the continent in this landmark congress that was officially opened by the Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Regional Development Authorities Prof. Judi Wakhungu.

LEAD STORY

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Environment Dr. Margaret Mwakima signs a visitor’s book at KFS exhibition booth during the AFWC Conference which was held at KICC on the 1st-5th Feb 2016. Looking on is KFS Director Mr. Emilio Mugo (far right), KFS Senior Deputy Director Support Services Ms. Monica Kalenda (left) and Conservation Secretary Ministry of Environment Mr. Gideon Gathara (middle).

20th Session of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission Conference Takes Place in Kenya

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NEWS ROUND-UPLEAD STORY

The Cabinet Secretary welcomed participants to Kenya and underscored the importance of forests and forestlands to National economic development, climate change mitigation and adaption. In her opening statement, Prof. Wakhungu noted that most African countries do not allocate enough resources to Forests and Wildlife in their budgets. She further noted that forests directly and indirectly have influence on other sectors of the economy and provide benefits that are better defined as ecosystem services. She underlined the importance of better reflecting local and national priorities when developing national forestry programs. She further highlighted the region’s efforts to develop policies and strict custom regulations to better manage the continent’s forestry and wildlife resources.

The session was addressed by various stakeholders among them Mr. Bukar Tijani, Assistant Director FAO and Regional Representative for Africa, Mr. Babaud Mattieu Darret Minister of Forests Cote d’ivore, Dr. Mumaaba Flavia Nabugere the Minister of State for Environment Uganda, Mrs. Oppah Charm Zvipange Minister for Environment, Water and Climate Change Zimbabwe, Mr. Ndarufatiye Theophile Deputy Minister for Environment Burundi, Hon. Dawis Mwango Deputy Minister for Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Zambia, Ms. Eva Muller Representative of the Assistant Director General (Forestry) and Director Forestry Policy and Resources Division FAO, Mr. Joseph Hailwa, Chairperson of African Forestry and Wildlife Commission, Mr. Robert Allport FAO representative in Kenya.

Some of the key issues that were discussed include:

• Global policy processes • Forestry and climate change adaptation and mitigation • Implementation of forest and wildlife policies in Africa; Harmonizing sectorial policies and laws to reduce growing conflict on land use • Enhancing sustainability and efficiency of wood fuel production and consumption • Women, gender and youth

The Commission was informed of the important milestones in 2015 relevant to forests and forestry, including the outcomes of the 11th session of the United Nations Forum on Forests; the adoption of the United Nations of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals and the adoption of the Paris Agreement on climate change. The commission underlined the opportunity presented by the SDG’s to raise awareness on the essential roles forests play in sustainable development. It also emphasized that collaboration and coordination between forests and other sectors especially agriculture, energy and water will be crucial to the achievement of the SDG’s. The Commission urged countries to work actively to integrate forests into their National climate change strategies. Presentations stressed the important role of forest sector in Africa for both climate change adaption and mitigation. It highlighted the key initiatives undertaken by the FAO and its partners to support African countries and African regional organizations on their related efforts and FAO’s work under UN-REDD. The commission reiterated the importance of the Paris agreement and requested FAO to support countries actions for implementation in a coordinated manner, including adequate involvement of key National stakeholders.

In order to improve forest and wildlife policy implementation, the commission noted the need for greater stakeholder participation and inclusive consultation, including for the purpose of developing in each country a shared vision of future development ambitions and priorities involving the land. This would allow the forest, wildlife and other natural resource sectors to move forward alongside other sectors in a coherent manner. The commission recognized that women and youth have a huge role to play in achieving sustainable management of the world’s forests and wildlife.

It therefore encouraged members to mainstream, gender and youth into their forest and wildlife policies and ensure the implementation and monitoring of these policies in enabling environments such as community based forest management. It further requested that members explore innovative approaches to tackle challenges facing the future of forest education in order to attract more students in the field of forestry.

20th Session of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission Conference Takes Place in Kenya

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A panel discussion during the conference

Prof. Wakhungu noted that most African countries do not allocate enough resources to Forests and

Wildlife in their budgets.

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KFS Board Members led by the Vice Chairperson Naomi Mogoria (7th left) and the Director Emilio Mugo pose for a group picture with the officers from Asili SACCO led by the national chairman Evans Kegode.

By Leakey Sonkoyo

Asili SACCO donated over forty training kits to the Kenya Forestry College’s Paramilitary School as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. The training kits which were issued to the school’s instructors were the fulfilment of a promise given to them when the SACCO donated jerseys to the recruits late last year.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, the national chairman of Asili SACCO who is also the Head of Survey and Mapping Department at Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Mr. Evans Kegode, said that giving back to the society was one of the key pillars of the SACCO. He noted that the membership of the SACCO which currently stands at over 10 000 was mainly drawn from the environment sector with KFS contributing most of the members. “Our being here today is testament to our appreciation for the enduring partnership between our members from KFS and the SACCO,” said the Chairman.

On hand to receive the donation was the KFS Director Mr. Emilio Mugo who was accompanied by Board Members who form the subcommittee of the college led by its chairman Mr. John Gethi. Speaking at the ceremony, the Director lauded the SACCO’s kind gesture and assured them that KFS will continue partnering with them for the benefit of KFS employees who were members of the SACCO. Noting that he himself was an active member of the SACCO for 29 years, Mr. Mugo said that the credit society had helped its members greatly over the years. “Asili has enabled its members acquire properties at low prices as well offering affordable loans,” added the Director.

During the event, the chairman took the opportunity to announce to his members that the SACCO had signed a salary processing agreement with the Cooperative Bank that will enable members’ access their salaries through their Fosa accounts. “This agreement will enable our members to fully patronise our Fosa products and services which include salary advances,” said the Chairman.

Asili SACCO was started in 1972 by employees of the former Forest Department. It has however over the years grown and now draws its membership from various institutions including KFS, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), Mines and Geology Department, Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) among others. Mr. Kegode was accompanied by the SACCO’s CEO Ms. Grace Alinyo and members of the executive committee.

Asili SACCO Donates Training Kits

LEAD STORY

Benedetta Wasonga

The Director of the Kenya Forest Service Mr. Emilio Mugo has been appointed the chair of the FAO African Forestry and Wildlife Commission for two years running 2016-2018 following the successful hosting of the 20th session from 1st - 5th February 2016 in Nairobi. He replaces Mr. Joseph Hailwa from Namibia who chaired the session between 2013 - 2015. The commission discusses policy, scientific and technical issues relating to forestry and wildlife; its deliberations give rise to special recommendations at meetings of the FAO Committee on Forests (COFO) and to governments of member countries.

The African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC) is one of the six regional forestry commissions of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The others cover the regions of Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Near East and North America. Its purpose is to advise on the formulation of forest and wildlife management policy and to review and coordinate its implementation at the regional level; to exchange information and, generally through special subsidiary bodies, to advise on suitable practices and action in regard to technical problems and to make appropriate recommendations in relation to the foregoing.

KFS Director Appointed Chair of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission

FAO Forestry Director Ms. Eva Muller (left) and KFS Director Mr. Emilio Mugo (right) listen to proceedings during the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission conference at KICC, Nairobi.


LEAD STORY

By Leakey Sonkoyo

The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) board has appointed new chairmen to head the ten forest conservancy areas in Kenya. The chairmen were taken through a three day induction workshop in Nakuru to familiarise themselves with their duties and responsibilities at the conservancy level.

Addressing the new chairmen and all the ten Heads of Conservancies (HOC), the KFS Director Mr. Emilio Mugo congratulated them on their appointment and asked them to work closely with forest managers in discharging their duties. The Director took the chairmen through the mandate of KFS including its formation through the Forests Act of 2005. He particularly dwelt on the mandate of the Forest Conservation Committees (FCC) as espoused in the Act. He noted that the FCCs had an important role in forest management as they were the link between the Service and the various stakeholders in the forestry sector. “Work closely with the HOCs to resolve any issues touching on forestry in your conservancy,” the Director urged them.

Speaking at the same forum, the Senior Deputy Director for Field Operations Mr. Esau Omollo also welcomed the new chairmen and urged them to engage the forestry stakeholders in their respective conservancies in forestry development. He noted that the FCC played an important role in advising the Board on various issues touching on forests including gazettement of new forest areas.

The new chairmen were taken through various presentations by officers from the headquarters and the HOCs which were aimed at helping them internalise the various aspects of forestry operations and management.

The FCC bring together various stakeholders in the forestry sector including county governments, Community Forest Associations (CFA), wood industry practitioners and line government departments at the regional level. The ten conservancies are; Nairobi, Mau, North Rift, Western, Nyanza, Central Highlands, Eastern, Coast, Ewaso North and North Eastern.

New FCC Chairpersons Inducted

From L-R: Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Director Mary Mukindia waters a tree in Mangoto Primary School in Murang’a County assisted by Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Ecosystem Conservator Murang’a James Gitonga and other KFS Officers. Kenya Forest Service is keen on partnering with other organizations in a bid to increase the current forest cover from 7% to 10%.

Pamela Gatwiri

Kenya Forest Service (KFS) in partnership with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has embarked on a major tree planting exercise in the country in a bid to plant 1 million trees. On 31st March, they planted 500 seedlings at Mangoto Primary School, Murang’a County, in an event that was geared to promote tree planting in schools. Recently, KFS and KRA were in the Western Kenya region where more than 200,000 seedlings were planted in Kakamega, Siaya and Kisumu as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. KRA and KFS have been distributing seedlings to schools, health centers and to local farmers to promote agroforestry.

Speaking during the event, Murang’a County Commissioner Kula Hache challenged the youth to devote their energy towards planting trees and embrace their vast benefits instead of engaging in criminal activities. “Trees can be used for commercial purposes like timber and the young people should utilize this resource to earn a more honest living,” said the Commissioner.

KRA Director Mary Mukindia also addressed the crowd and called on the locals to plant trees during the upcoming rainy season. She underscored the importance of registering as a tax payer to be able to facilitate the betterment of the services citizens receive. She commended the community for coming together to plant trees in the School. Mangoto Primary School began in January 2012 and now has 500 pupils and 12 teachers.

KRA Partners with KFS to Plant 1 Million Trees

KFS Director Emilio Mugo addressing the FCC Chairpersons during the induc-tion workshop

NEWS ROUND UP


NEWS ROUND UP

KFS Director Emilio Mugo (2nd right,seated) signs a Forest Management Agreement (FMA) with members of Kiptunga CFA at Maji Mazuri, Baringo County, as Deputy Director Plantation & Enterprise Simiyu Wasike (right,seated) witnesses.

Community Participation in Forest ManagementBy Leakey Sonkoyo

The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has launched 10 Partici-patory Forest Management Plans (PFMPs) and signed 11 Forest Management Agreements (FMAs) with Community Forest As-sociations (CFAs) in Western and Mau Conservancies. The plans and agreements will help the communities living adjacent to forests to carry out agreed activities in the forests that benefit them while still conserving the forests. The management plans and agreements are legal re-quirements for management of all state forests in the country. The PFMPs are drawn by communities in conjunction with KFS and spell out various activities that the community can carry out in a particular forest. They also state the responsibility of each of the partners in making sure that the integrity of the forests is not compromised. Speaking in Kakamega during the launch of the PFMPs and signing of FMAs for Kibiri, Malava and Bunyala forest sta-tions, all of which are in the larger Kakamega Forest ecosystem, the KFS Director Mr. Emilio Mugo urged communities to imple-ment the management plans fully so that they can benefit from the forests. “This is an opportunity for you to improve your live-lihoods while conserving forests with us,” said the Director. Addressing the same gathering, the Forest Conserva-tion Committee (FCC) chairman for Western Mr. John Baraza urged the CFAs to do their part in the conservation of Kakamega Forest. He told the CFA members that his committee was com-mitted to helping them actualize the forest management agree-ments. At Maji Mazuri in Baringo County, the Director launched seven management plans and signed eight manage-ment agreements with CFAs from Baringo and Nakuru Counties. He pledged the Service’s support to the CFAs in implementation

of the PFMPs. He thanked local stakeholders who included the Lembus Council of Elders, for supporting forest conservation in the area. The PFMPs that were launched include Maji Mazuri, Chemususu, Kiptuget, Chemorgok, Sabatia, Esageri and Nara-sha Forest Stations. The Director also signed FMAs for these stations and Kiptunga Forest Station from Nakuru County which had launched its PFMP earlier.

KFS Director Emilio Mugo presents a copy of the Participatory Forest Manage-ment Plan (PFMP) to an official of one of the CFAs during the launch of the PFMPs in Baringo County.


By Leakey Sonkoyo

Members of Parliament from Finland recently toured the Kenya Forestry College (KFC) at Londiani as part of their visit to Kenya. The 10 MPs who constitute the Gender and Labour committee in the Finnish parliament were on a mission to see projects funded by their government.

Speaking at the College, Finland’s Ambassador to Kenya Ms. Tarja Fernandez who was leading the delegation, thanked the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) for hosting the MPs. She noted that Finland and Kenya had cooperated particularly in the forestry sector for a long time. She singled out the Miti Mingi Maisha Bora (MMMB) programme which she said had helped bring about forest sector reforms in the country including the formation of the Service. She acknowledged that even as the programme was coming to an end, there was need for both countries to look for other areas of partnership in the sector.

Addressing the same gathering, KFS Director Mr. Emilio Mugo thanked the Finnish government for the long

partnership between the two countries. He assured the MPs that Kenya and KFS in particular was ready to forge new partnerships with Finland. He noted that Finland having a very developed forestry sector had helped Kenya in capacity building through training of forest officers and technology transfer. He cited the new sawmill at the Kenya Forestry College (KFC) which will be used to train small scale sawmillers and students as an example.

Apart from the sawmill, the Finnish government had also supported the college in curriculum development according the principal Prof. Donald Ogweno. The principal said that the college had also benefited from ICT support and was in partnership with Hamk University in Finland through which students will benefit from exchange programmes between the two institutions.

Finnish MPs Visit Kenya Forestry College

Finland’s ambassador to Kenya H.E Tarja Fernandez (in blue t-shirt) and KFS Director Emilio Mugo (in checked coat) pose for a picture with the visiting Finnish Members of Parliament during their visit to the Kenya Forestry College (KFC) in Londiani, Kericho County

NEWS ROUND-UPNEWS ROUND-UP

The sawmill put up with funding from the Finnish Government at the Kenya Forestry College Londiani for training students and sawmillers

Finland’s Ambassador to Kenya H.E Tarja Fernandez speaks to the group during a meeting at the College.


PROJECT NEWS

By Caroline Kahuria Twelve groups in Nakuru and Laikipia Counties are beneficiaries of the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), a multi-donor funded programme that aims at strengthen-ing forest and farm producers, catalyzing multi-sectoral stakeholders, policy platforms with government at lo-cal and national levels as well as linking voices through participatory communication and information sharing. The project is keen on improving the livelihoods of farmer’s particularly in developing capacity to structure and govern business oriented producer groups, undertake market demand assessments and supply inventories for potential prod-ucts option and build business management. The project has encouraged farmers to engage in different income generating activities such as poultry, tree nurseries, woodlot establishment among others. Speaking while on a field tour to Laikipia and Nakuru, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) representative Jhony Zapata expressed his contentment with the groups and encour-aged them to be proactive and realize new ways of improving their livelihoods even after donor money is completed to sup-port them. He noted the need to work as a team for the realiza-tion of both individual and group goals. Speaking regarding the benefits of the group, 30 year old Esther Wanja from Nettle world self-help group in Laikip-ia East was quick to thank the FAO for the project and noted that the it has been instrumental in capacity building more so in training on financial management which is key in any group’s success. “The training that we have received from the FAO is critical to us as a group as it has opened our eyes in ways we couldn’t have imagined, particularly in understanding the im-portance of working as a group since we produce and supply in large quantities. It is also key since different responsibilities are

shared within the members and individuals have a role to play in the final product that is produced and taken to the market, we couldn’t be happier.” She noted. Speaking regarding the programme, KFS Head of Ex-tension Management Oscar Simanto noted that the project’s objective is being realized through the empowerment of farm-ers in learning new markets, educating farmers to be proactive and advising them on different opportunity costs in the market. Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) is also key in linking na-tional sustainable forest management aspirations to a global agenda and initiatives such as food security, poverty reduction, forest management, illegal logging, trade, biodiversity and cli-mate change mitigation.The Project is funded by the Food and Agriculture Organiza-tion’s forest and farm facility and being implemented by the Kenya Forest Service. The CFA has several user groups among them a 450 meter board walk managed by women members. According to Mwatime Hamadi, the women charge a fee for people to walk on the board walk and learn about the different mangrove spe-cies and other biodiversity thereby earning them a living. The group has also registered a Community Based Organisation (CBO), Mikoko Pamoja Organisation which is conserving man-groves for carbon credits. They sell the credits to companies in Europe and use the proceeds to empower themselves econom-ically.

Empowering Indigenous People through Alternative Means of Livelihood

Johny Zapata (3rd left) FAO representative based in Rome, presents a booklet on how Government can empower Forest Producer Organizations to KFS Director Emilio Mugo when he visited KFS offices to brief him on a field trip to Nakuru and Laikipia Counties where Forest and Farm Facility funding is supporting farm-ers to access markets for their farm products to improve their livelihoods.

The training that we have received from the FAO is critical to us as a

group as it has opened our eyes in ways we couldn’t have imagined...

“

”


PROJECT NEWS

By Melita Tenges The National Forests fund is not a new development in the forestry sector. It dates back to the early 1930’s having been first established in the United States (Knutson Vanderberg Fund) and Spain in the year 1939 (Patrimonio Forestal del Es-tado). As a result of the devastation caused by World War II, France also created the ‘Fonds Forestier’ to counter the harm caused to their forests. Different countries across Africa have over the years developed their National Forest Funds which are designed to set aside a portion of National revenues for forestry purposes. The forest funds exist for more than a single govern-ment budget cycle, setting apart specific forestry-related reve-nues and earmarking them for investment in the forest sector.The Forest Act 2005 on Forest Conservation and Management bears information regarding the establishment of the Forest Management and Conservation fund in Section 17; and in ac-cordance with section 20 of the same Act, the fund is to be run by a Finance Committee appointed and empowered on behalf of the Board. Section 26 (1) establishes the Forest Conservation and Management Trust Fund which is under the Forest Conservation and Management Bill 2015. It states that the Trust Fund shall be managed by a Board of Trustees appointed by the Cabinet Secretary. The Board of Trustees is to consist of the Chairper-son and four other Members namely a county representative, a civil society representative involved in forest conservation, a National government representative and a private sector repre-sentative. Not only is the Forest Fund aimed at developing for-ests, but it also serves a purpose in the maintenance and con-servation of indigenous forests, promotion of commercial forest plantations, promotion of community-based forest projects, fa-cilitation of education and research activities, establishment of nurseries and production of seedlings among others as stated in the Forest Act 2005. The objectives of the Trust Fund are to nurture, promote and inspire innovations in forest conservation as stated in the Forest Conservation and Management Bill. Following a recent Kenya Forest Service liaison meeting held in Mombasa, a proposal was made on different activities to be financed using the Forest Fund. The activities which are to be financed via loans and grants include innovative farm and forest enterprises, certification of forest and forest products, Ecotour-ism activities, rehabilitation of forests, education and applied research, conservation awards, carbon trade schemes and cli-mate change schemes among other activities. Eligible groups that will be funded include inter alia: Community Forest Asso-ciations and other forest conservation groups, Forest and Farm Producer Organizations, youth and women groups involved in forest related activities, Farm Forestry Field Schools, forest de-pendent communities, forest related co-operatives, forest re-lated umbrella organizations and networks, group ranches and forest group entrepreneurs across the value chain. These groups must be registered under the relevant laws and their proposed activity must be in Kenya along with other basic requirements such as a bank account, favorable

credit rating and proof of good governance. This also applies to corporates and individuals who may be interested in the loans.Selection criteria for the eligible groups will look into the groups contribution to forest cover, viability of a group’s proposal, a clear demonstration of women and youth participation, degree to which members have participated in the design and formu-lation of the application, provision of background information on similar projects implemented or being implemented by the group, the financial value for money offered by the proposal and impact of the proposed project. Terms and conditions put in place to govern the issu-ance of loans (a loan to an individual, corporate or a group) also vary. The maximum loan amount as a percentage of the project cost varies depending on the type of loan and also the mini-mum equity amount as a percentage of the project cost. Other terms and conditions include maximum and minimum funding levels with bigger projects getting funding of up to five million shillings whereas smaller projects are funded up to three hun-dred thousand shillings. The interest rate is to be negotiated between the fund and financial services provider in the above types of loans and the loan term is up to five years for corporate and individual loans depending on the nature of activities but the terms are slightly lower for group loans. For group and in-dividual loans, a grace period of three months will be given but the interest will continue to accrue. Corporate loans however have no grace period. In all the loans, there will be no fees paid for the application, and securities for the group and individual loans will include chattel mortgages, group guarantee (groups), individual guarantee (in-dividual loans), a 20% of total loan amount for groups and 10% for individuals shall be saved before the disbursement into the group account. The securities for corporate loans will be asset collateral with all directors jointly and severally guaranteeing. Credit life insurance applies to corporate loans where the loan must be insured and individual loans where the beneficiaries will pay credit life insurance which will be based on the market policies. As for grants, all proposals submitted to the fund need to demonstrate how the proposal meets the fund’s purpose or criteria. This should be articulated showing how the objectives and activities would have an impact on the purpose of the fund; and must have a sustainability strategy. Groups that seek grants must be active and registered under the relevant laws, have the implementation of their project based in Kenya, must be en-gaged in forest land activities and must have a bank registered in the name of the organization with a favorable credit rating. In addition, the official must not have been convicted of an of-fense for professional misconduct or/and an offence resulting in jail term for more than six months. They must not be declared bankrupt with proof of good governance and must have compli-ance with statutory regulations such as tax compliance. In order for a group to receive a grant, specific terms and conditions are to be observed. Type of grant as in groups engaged in forest conservation and grants to corporates en-gaged in forest conservation related research. The maximum

Forest Conservation and Management Fund

Continued on page 16...


PICTORIALS

Shauna Matkovich (2nd left) Investment Manager at International Wood Com-pany waters a tree she planted in Molo Nakuru County, she is flanked by col-leagues Dr. Mogens Pedersens (4th right), Anders Pagh Director Danish Forest Association (left) and Oscar Simanto (3rd right) KFS Head Extension Manage-ment when they toured the County with an interest to invest and empower Charcoal Producers to improve their livelihoodS.

The newly appointed Finnish Ambassador to Kenya Tarja Fernandez (left)shakes hands with Kenya Forest Service Director Emilio Mugo during a courtesy call. The Finnish Embassy is actively involved in the Forestry sec-tor and plans are underway to continue funding and providing technical support this sector. Finland is estimated to have 75 percent forest cover

Forestry students propagating bamboo at a nursery at the Kenya Forestry College, Londiani

The former Chairman of the KFS Board Mr. Peter Kirigua (r) hands over to the new Chairman Mr. Peter Kinyua (c) at the KFS headquarters. They are accompa-nied by the KFS Director Mr. Emilio Mugo

KFS Board Chairman Peter Kinyua (seated centre) and KFS Director Emilio Mugo (seated centre) together with KFS Board Members and KFS Senior Management Officers pose for a group photo after a Management Liaison meeting held at the Travellers Beach Hotel, Mombasa.


PICTORIALS

The KFS Director Emilio Mugo (front center) poses for a group photo with the new FCC chairpersons and Heads of Conservancies after opening their induction workshop in Nakuru

KFS Director, Emilio Mugo (seated center) poses for a group photo with participants of the training workshop on Climate Change Initiatives in Marsabit County

KFS Director Emilio Mugo (left) receives the training kits from the Asili SACCO national chairman Evans Kegode as the SACCO’s CEO Grace Alinyo looks on in Londiani

Members of the Finnish delegation are given a demonstration of the sawmill by a worker at the College.

Kenya Forest Service Senior Deputy Director Field Operations Esau Omollo receives reference material documents from Project Manager (IC-FRA) Peter Nduati (right) and Helena Haakana of Natural Resources Institute of Finland, Luke (center).


FEATURES

By Pamela Gatwiri Africa is resource rich and natural resourc-es play a key role in its development. More than else-where in the world, its sustainable development will depend on its capacity to efficiently and sustainably manage its natural resources, in particular, water, land and forests for the benefit of all. They form the basis of economic activities and liveli-hoods, especially among the poorest who are heavily depen-dent on chiefly land, water and forests. In fact, the majority of the population is engaged in their use and exploitation, which represents an estimated 30% of the continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to African Development Bank’s CIF Knowledge series May 2015. The strong economic growth Africa has recently enjoyed hinges critically on these resources, requiring their sustainable management. However, in Africa, sustainability of these natural resources has faced some major challenges starting with an insufficient mobilisation of financial resourc-es by countries and donors making it imperative to explore alternative and innovative mechanisms. Such one mecha-nism is Payment for Environmental Services (PES).

Payment for Environmental Services (PES) is a new, innovative and promising approach to Natural Resource Management. PES is a market-based mechanism where land owners are rewarded by service beneficiaries such as Kenya Forest Service. It is based on the premise that land owners undertake land use transformations that provide agreed eco-system services. For these services, they are rewarded finan-cially by the beneficiaries. A few years ago, Kenya Forest Service implement-ed the REDD+ initiative. REDD+ is an urban abbreviation for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degrada-tion. KFS has participated in various workshops where they shared lessons learnt and experiences on Payment for Eco-system Services (PES) schemes in countries such as Mexico, Ecuador and Costa Rica and their relevance to REDD+ pro-grams implementation.

As part of the discussion, the workshops focused on legal aspects of implementing payments for ecosystem services (PES), conservation incentives and REDD+ programs through the lens of participation agreements, poverty re-duction, livelihoods and other equity issues, evaluation and managing trade-offs and synergies between programs, sec-tors and incentives, monitoring, reporting and verification of activities and outcomes and financial mechanism, targeting and controlling administrative costs. Like PES and conservation incentives, REDD+ sup-ports several sectors including the tourism, water agriculture and industry among others. While formal implementation of REDD+ typically rests with the forestry sector, cooperation and involvement across related sectors and stakeholders including local communities is needed for successful imple-mentation of the National REDD+ Strategy. In Kenya, PES tool has deemed valuable especially in the Lake side regions where the low levels of fresh water are worrying. Lake Naivasha is one such area that has seen progress due to the PES program. Former Director of Wa-ter Resources John Nyaoro, of the Ministry of Environment & Natural Resources, once commented that it has been demonstrated farmers can protect the catchment areas on their own with little assistance and urged all stakeholders to make this project a sustainable one. Under the PES program that was supported by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in 2014, the farmers in Naivasha region planted fodder crop and trees along contour lines, leaving the riparian uncultivated and planted high val-ue crops. Introduction of the PES program in Lake Naivasha was a major step in reinforcing the restoration of degraded areas of the lake ecosystem. The farmers expressed satisfac-tion with the program. They attributed it to increased pro-duction in their farms. The instrument of PES has become increasingly popular, especially in the context of developing countries, given its potential to contribute to the sustainable use of nat-ural resources and poverty reduction. Climate change pres-ents new challenges for the management of social-ecological systems and the ecosystem services they provide. PES has appeared as a promising tool at the local level to foster con-servation efficiency, sustainable finance for conservation and poverty reduction. Sustainability cannot be taken for granted and investments in ecosystem restoration are much needed.

Payment for Environmental Services (PES) in Africa

grant amount as a percentage of the project cost varies from grants to groups and grants to corporates with the former hav-ing 90% of the grant value subject to a maximum of one million shillings and the latter matching a grant of up to a maximum of 50% of the grant value. The grant period is also different in that the period for groups is up to 1 year depending on the nature of the activities of enterprise, where as the grant pe-riod for corporate is up to 2 years depending on the nature of the activities of the enterprise. A processing fee of at least one thousand shillings depending on the forest conservation initiative is required for both where as securities which is a con-ditional grant for both groups and corporates are subjected to recommendation from a recognized and relevant conservation entity, grant agreement (affidavit/indemnity) and commitment to fulfill grant conditions, failure to which the officials/directors will be jointly liable to refund it.

....Continued from page 13


PROJECT NEWS

By Caroline Kahuria Charcoal is a key source of en-ergy in Kenya providing 82%of urban and 34% of rural household energy. According to Kenya Forest Service (KFS), the sector provides employment to over 700,000 people who support over two million de-pendants. Charcoal business is big and remains active even after several bans by the Government to curb cutting down of trees, which charcoal producers harvest unsustainably, sometimes in desperate moves to feed their families. Research indicates that char-coal producers, despite doing all the hard work of charcoal burning, remain finan-cially challenged while the transporters get most benefits from the venture. It is for this reason that KFS is keen on em-powering the producers through capacity training to ensure that they understand fully and are part of the value chain for full benefits. Speaking regarding charcoal production, KFS Director Emilio Mugo noted that the Service has been collabo-rating with Counties to ensure that small scale farmers, more so charcoal produc-ers, are empowered through capacity building to ensure they understand the value chain in order to benefit fully from the venture. “There is potential in char-coal production, however there is dispar-ity in how producers and transporters

view the venture, where the transporters see it as a business while the producers see it as a means of livelihood. This is why KFS is keen on partnerships to help edu-cate the charcoal producers to be part of the whole value chain and benefit fully.” He said. The Danish Forest Association through the International Wood Compa-ny (IWC) is ready to collaborate with KFS to empower small scale farmers to grow woodlots for charcoal production. Speak-ing while on a trip to Kitui and Nakuru re-spectively to analyze the situation on the ground Dr. Mogens Pedersen from IWC noted that there is great potential within the areas that could even provide mar-kets for both local and International mar-kets. “The African Continent and more so Kenya, continues to have degraded areas of forest land because individuals cut trees for domestic use and particularly for charcoal production. This is why it is important to have a programme where farmers grow trees particularly for char-coal production because most house-holds need it.” Mogens noted. In recent times, new technolo-gies that are cheap and easy to manage have been adopted in a bid to sustain-ably utilize trees for future generations. Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) has been keen to develop the technolo-gies which include improved earth, drum,

portable metal and casamance kilns that are appropriate and efficient. The tech-nologies provide usage of less wood in small branches in place of huge logs and the quality of the charcoal is of high qual-ity. With a high demand for charcoal in both rural and urban areas, and with a desire to achieve 10% forest cover, KFS is keen on promoting sustainable man-agement and production of charcoal to ensure that the industry is well organized and that charcoal producers enjoy max-imum benefit from the enterprise for a green economy.Forestry Programme (NFP) as well as as-sist the government in alleviating the sit-uation of vulnerable communities in the country.

Investing in Woodlots for Charcoal Production

Dr. Mogens Pedersens (left) consultant International Wood Company is accompanied by colleagues from Danish Forest Association, Kenya Forest Service, FF-SPAK and We Effect when they visited Kitui County to see how charcoal production using kilns works. International Wood Company is interested in sup-porting developments of woodlots for charcoal production, exploring viable investment options on charcoal value chain and marketing of forest products to empower charcoal producers to improve their livelihood.

Charcoal Briquettes


PROJECT NEWS

By Evelyne Macharia & Pamela Munene

In most regions of the world, the sustainable manage-ment of natural resources requires the involvement of many different stakeholders, a strategy that the Service has been en-forcing. There are a couple of project success stories like the ‘Miti Mingi Maisha Bora’ Project that was funded by the Finish Government, at a sum of 2.1 billion since 2007. Such projects have created employment of thousands of individuals and have boosted the technical skills in local grounds in the forestry sec-tor. There are many other projects in the pipeline which KFS is working on, that are due to improve natural resource management in the country as explained below: Ongoing KFS Projects System for Land Based Emission Estimation in Kenya (SLEEK) This project is a Government of Kenya program that aims to develop a robust measurement, reporting and verifica-tion system to estimate land based emissions in Kenya to pro-vide this data to drive development in the country. Through this program, with support from the Clinton Climate Initiative, the Government of Kenya is developing cutting-edge data tools that draw on land cover, soils and climate data to calculate green-house gas emissions associated with land use activities. KFS is on board with this project as its input provides vital information to track deforestation, direct use to management and plan sus-tainable growth by being able to visualize and analyze how land use has changed over time. The system will also play a key role in pro-viding information to help Kenya respond to a range of other

development challenges. This includes guiding Kenya’s refor-estation efforts, helping reduce emissions from agriculture, and helping Kenya benefit from carbon markets. SLEEK will also help put better information in the hands of farmers and communi-ties. SLEEK will provide data that can be used to develop apps that can help farmers in a wide range of ways, such as informing decisions about which crop to plant, how much cattle their land can support, and where trees are most likely to survive.

Upper Tana Natural Resources Management Project This is an eight year project funded by IFAD and the Government of Spain, and is aimed at contributing reduction of rural poverty in the Upper Tana River catchment. This goal is pursued through two development objectives namely; In-creased sustainable food production and incomes for poor rural households living in the project area and sustainable manage-ment of natural resources for provision of environmental ser-vices.

The project has three main components:• Empowering communities to sustainably mange natural re sources by building their capacity to develop resource man agement plans while also improving their livelihoods• Sustainably improving the incomes and living standards of the target group through interventions that are beneficial to the management of natural resource base• Improving the sustainable management and use of water and other natural resources.

The target area of the project is the Tana Catchment areas, covering 6 of Kenya’s 47 counties, namely Muranga, Ki-rinyaga, ...Tharaka, Embu, Nyeri and Meru. Around 205,000

From left: KFS Board Chair Peter Kinyua, Environment C.S Prof. Judi Wakhungu, Deputy Head of Missions-Finland Embassy Ramses Malaty and KFS Director Emilio Mugo during the commissioning of the 80 million sawmill at the Kenya Forestry College in Londiani.

KFS in New Partnerships With Development Partners


PROJECT NEWS

poor rural households – including smallholder crop and live-stock farmers, agro-pastoralists, fishers and rural traders – are expected to benefit from the initiative, which features special focus on women, young people and other vulnerable groups. Soon to Start Projects

Kenya’s Water Tower Protection and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation (WATER) Programme Recognition of Kenya’s water towers economic and environmental importance, and threats posed by their degra-dation has resulted in Government-and community-led initia-tives geared towards rehabilitation. One of the projects initi-ated to obtain this goal is the EU flagship project “Watershed Protection and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Pro-gramme,” which aims to conserve the water towers. Rehabilitation and restoration of the five water tow-ers will be significant as they are considered vital National as-sets. The programme, funded by the EU, focuses on actions in Mt. Elgon and Cherangani Hills ecosystems. The activities will focus primarily on improving landscape and natural resource management, and having in place efficient waste management systems. This will ultimately lead to increased benefits to rural communities from forest, agriculture and agro-forestry land use systems. The overall scope includes the harmonisation of insti-tutional architecture linking National and county governments for natural resource management; enhanced capacities and systems to establish an integrated approach to water tower conservation and management; rewarding communities adja-cent to water towers providing ecosystem services accruing to beneficiaries further afield; improving linkages between pro-viders of ecosystem services with the private sector; and evi-dence-based interventions. Key partners in this project include the Government of Kenya, Water Resources Management Authority (WRMA), Kenya Forest Service (KFS), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Di-rectorate of Environment and the Climate Change Secretariat, Water Resource Users Associations (WRUAs), Community For-est Associations (CFAs) and relevant Counties.

Support to Sustainable Private Forest Development in Kenya This project is funded by the Government of Germany and its main objective is to contribute to sustainable manage-ment of forest resources on farm and woodlands and to en-hance rural income generation. The main target group consists of thousands of small and medium scale private forest owners in Kenya. The project will go a long way in poverty eradication as it will focus on ways of generating income.

By Leakey Sonkoyo The Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Regional Development Authorities through the National REDD+ Coordination Office is sensitizing forestry stakehold-ers on the REDD+ process. The main aim of the activity is to help integrate the REDD+ process into all sectors of the economy. So far, sensitization workshops have taken place in Narok, Thika and Marsabit. Speaking in Marsabit during the official opening of a sensitization workshop for stakeholders in Ewaso North Con-servancy, the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Director Mr. Emilio Mugo said that the Service was seeking to build the capacity of its stakeholders in issues to do with climate change. The Director added that climate change was a reality and was af-fecting the everyday lives of Kenyans. He noted that there was immense pressure on forest resources in the country due to the ever expanding population which had necessitat-ed land use change for settlement and agriculture purposes. “It is therefore important that we engage all stakeholders and sensitize them on the effects of climate change and the programmes in place to mitigate these adverse changes,” said the Director. Speaking at the same event, the REDD+ National Coordinator Mr. Alfred Gichu said that there was need for cooperation in the forestry sector among all players including County Governments, communities and even private firms in combating climate change. He noted that significant resourc-es will be invested in the sector to help it adopt mechanisms that help in reducing deforestation and forest degradation. The sensitization workshops will also help build capacity on the REDD+ process as a key strategy for forest conservation and management.

Stakeholders Sensitized about REDD+

The National REDD+ Coordinator Mr. Alfred Gichu addresses participants of the training workshop on climate change initiatives in the forestry sector in Marsabit County.

Rehabilitation and restoration of the five water towers will be

significant as they are considered vital National assets.

“”


PROJECT NEWS

By Michael Muratha

Kenya recognizes the benefits that forests and trees can provide to the country’s landscapes including improved soil fertility, availability of water, green jobs, economic growth, and increased capacity for climate change resilience and miti-gation. In line with this, the Government through the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Regional Development Authorities has made a commitment to restoring 5.1 million hectares of forests in the country. The move has also been triggered by the ongoing For-est Landscape Restoration (FLR) project which informs work on a number of international commitments including the New York Declaration, the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) a Pan-African country led effort to bring 100 million hectares of deforested and degraded landscapes under resto-ration by 2030 and the Bonn Challenge.

Kenya`s engagement in the AFR100 will secure and address a number of goals including Kenya`s contribution to global climate change and mitigation adaptation goals, the constitutional mandate of Kenya to maintain at least 10% of national forest cover, Kenya`s vision 2030 of rehabilitating and protecting Kenya`s water towers in order to increase, regulate and maintain high quality water flowing from this catchments and the National Climate Change Response Strategy`s goal of growing 7.6 billion trees and shrubs for ecological restoration and sustainable land management. The Landscape restoration project which is being coor-dinated by Kenya Forest Service with technical support from the Clinton Climate Initiative, World Resource Centre and the Green Belt Movement, has made tremendous achievements since its inception in September 2014. Key amongst them includes the production of maps and associated area statistics as proposed priority restoration areas. These maps will help in identifying opportunities to scale up restoration efforts to reduce erosion, increase livelihood diversification, fodder production, as well as present potential areas for commercial plantations among others.

Kenya being on the third stage of the Restoration Op-portunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM) is now looking to adopt a framework tool dubbed restoration diagnostic as-sessment tool that will help develop a National Restoration strategy. The framework will also help the government syner-gize restoration information from all the actors including the private sector, civil society, communities and development partners among others. Further, the Diagnostic tool will serve as a structured method for identifying key success factors for forest landscape restoration that are already in place, and also the missing ones within the country that have restoration opportunities. When applied prior to the restoration effort, the Diagnostic tool will help Kenya`s decision makers and restoration supporters focus their efforts on the most important factors to get in place be-fore large amounts of human, financial, or political capital are invested.

By Michael Muratha

Climate change has affected countries for a long time now by disrupting national economies and affecting lives. Such serve climate change effects have been attributed to green-house gas emissions from human activities. To deal with these adverse effects Kenya has moved a notch higher to promote application of people centered pol-icies and strategies including the National Climate Change Re-sponse Strategy, the Climate Change Action Plan, Vision 2030 and the Kenya Constitution 2010. The Country has further adopted international measures in-cluding the Reducing of Emissions from Deforestation and for-est Degradation (REDD+) process that advocates for sustain-able managed of forests. To further strengthen this his Excellency the Presi-dent Hon Uhuru Kenyatta signed into law the Climate Change bill 2014 that provides for a legal and institutional framework for the mitigation and adaptation to the effects of climate change. Key provisions in the Act include the establishment of a Climate Change Council which shall be an independent and autonomous body that shall draw members from key gov-ernment sectors, civil society organizations, private sector and representative from communities. The council shall be headed by the President and shall provide high level oversight and co-ordination of climate change activities in the country. The proposed Council will also advise the National and County governments on measures necessary for climate change adaptation and mitigation. It will also guide implemen-tation of regional and international conventions to which Ken-ya is party to and report regularly on the country’s adherence to its international obligations relating to climate change. The signing into law of this act is further a big plus to the country as it caters for the two third gender rule and promotes for public participation. A number of sectors in the economy will benefit from this act including the Health, ener-gy, transport, agriculture, livestock, forestry and tourism.

5.1 Million Hectares of Forests to be Restored

Climate Change Legislation takes shape Major boost to Kenya`s Economy

Kenya Forest Service Board Chairman Peter Kinyua addresses stakeholders during a workshop on Forest Landscape Restoration held at the Utalii Hotel. In his remarks he commended stakeholders and urged them to continue with the good spirit of conserving the country`s environment.


Ngare Ndare Forest is a flourishing indigenous forest at the foothills of Mt. Kenya. Sapphire pools glisten at the bottom of waterfalls and 200 year old trees stretch into the canopy supporting a rich variety of bird and animal life. The forest forms an important corridor for elephants and other wildlife moving from Mt. Kenya forest to Il Ngwesi, Mukogodo and other sections of Kenya’s northern rangelands that includes the Lew Conservancy.

Ngare Ndare is a 5,554.3 hectare indigenous forest that of-fers an array of outdoor activity such as camping, walking trails, canoeing, rock climbing and a 450-metre steel cano-py walkway along a tributary of Ngare Ndare river. The se-rene forest is a sight to behold and one of Kenya’s upcoming gems.

Ngare Ndare Forest

Ngare Ndare Forest TrustP.O Box 1704 – 60200 MeruTel: +254 722 886 456, +254 700 412 [email protected]

For more information contact:Kenya Forest ServiceKarura, Off Kiambu RoadP.O. Box 30513 – 00100 Nairobi, Kenya.Tel: +254 20 2020285Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

www.kenyaforestservice.org

ECO-TOURISM


CROSS CUTTING ISSUES

Benedetta Wasonga

When confronted with the big question about the one challenge that is facing Kenya, the most common responses are likely to be terrorism and unemployment. But what drives terror-ism? Is bad governance partly to blame? Is unemployment due to few available job vacancies? More than six billion people live in countries where deep public sector corruption is fuelling poverty, exclusion and inequality. Unfortunately, Kenya ranks high amongst those coun-tries. While terrorism, poor growth, unemployment and falling revenues are critical in explaining slow progress it is systematic corruption that lies at the root of these challenges. Corruption is undeniably the biggest obstacle to devel-opment in Kenya. But corruption is a global issue as it exists al-most everywhere. What is so unique about corruption in Kenya that makes it such a great concern for development? In the case of Kenya, it is not simply the alarmingly high level of public sector corruption that is deeply worrying; it is the entrenched nature of the phenomenon. Corruption in Kenya is structural, endemic and deeply embedded. Corruption is broadly classified into three categories; grand, petty and political. Grand corruption consists of acts com-mitted at a high level of government that distort policies or the functioning of the state, enabling leaders to benefit at the ex-pense of the public good. On the other hand, petty corruption refers to everyday abuse of power by low and mid-level public officials in their in-teractions with ordinary citizens. Finally, political corruption is a manipulation of policies, institutions and rules of procedures by politicians to keep their power, status and wealth unchallenged. While all three categories pervade public life in Kenya, political corruption is exceptionally rife. Since Kenya’s inception, personal interests have invari-ably gained precedence at the expense of public welfare. Policies have been motivated by selfish interests rather than ideals of col-lective good and social security. Institutions have been paralyzed by the tradition of political patronage and nepotism. Appropria-tion of public assets for private gain and embezzlement of public funds by public servants and politicians have deprived the citi-zens of basic necessities. Here are the big questions: what has made this exploita-tion possible and unchallenged? Why does it persist? Can we ever get rid of this historical trend of looting and extraction?The scourge of corruption in Kenya has been simply made possi-ble by the excessive abuse of power fuelled by lack of account-ability. The ruling groups have crippled laws and institutions of accountability for personal gain. Politicians have exploited their authority to bend rules and regulations to their own advantage at the expense of public good. Kenya has for years been involved in anti-corruption drives. The country’s anti-corruption legislation dates back to

1956 with the enactment of the now defunct Prevention of Corruption Act (formerly Cap. 65, LOK). This statute was in operation from August 1956 to May 2003. Initially, the Prevention of Corruption Act (Cap. 65) was enforced by the Police Department, notably the Anti-Corruption Squad con-stituted in 1993. The Squad was however disbanded in 1995 before it could make any significant impact. Amendment of the Prevention of Corruption Act (Cap 65, LOK) in early 1997 led to the creation of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Authority (KACA) in 1997. Pursuant to Article 79 of the Constitution, Parlia-ment disbanded KACC on 24th August 2011 through en-actment of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Act (EACC), 2011. The EACC was established on 5th September 2011. Its mission is to have a corruption free Kenyan society that upholds integrity and rule of law while promoting in-tegrity and combating corruption through law enforcement, prevention and education. The fight against corruption has not only been left for the EACC. Government agencies have taken up the re-sponsibility to ensure a corruption free working environ-ment. As such, Kenya Forest Service has put in place an of-fice for corruption prevention. Led by the Director Mr. Emilio Mugo and the Se-nior Management, KFS employees have pledged to practice values of integrity, transparency and good governance that support prevention of corruption, fight any form of corrupt practice such as soliciting for kick-backs. The office is in-volved in Educating and creating awareness on matters of corruption; Undertake preventive measures against unethi-cal and corrupt practices; Conduct investigations on its own initiative or on a complaint made by any person.

What the public can do to help fight corruptionReport all forms of corruption to the KFS Corruption Preven-tion Office or to the Kenya Ethics and Anti-Corruption Com-mission (EACC) or any other Law Enforcement Agencies:-• In person • By writing a letter or an email• By telephone or fax• By use of the drop-in corruption reporting boxes• By use of any other method convenient to you• Anonymously“Report Corruption in KFS here” link and the organization will take the necessary steps as well as protecting persons making the corruption complaints/claims.It is important to note that fighting corruption must start at the individual level and later spread to the rest of society and in so doing, the country as a whole shall eventually be-come corruption free.

The Curse Of Corruption


STATION PROFILE

MUCHEENE FOREST STATIONBy Fridah Murugu and Pamela Gatwiri It is a quiet but busy morning in Kiirua an area located in the outskirts of Meru County. Meru is located on the East slope of Mount Kenya and five miles north of the equator. We take the dusty road to Mucheene Forest Station, nestled within hilly surroundings and evergreen vegetation, and drive slowly as we stare at the beautiful views in the area. Rays of the sun give the dramatic effects to the surrounding and the trees are ‘clapping’ their ‘hands’ to welcome the new day. On the way we see sacks of potatoes that have been harvested, an indication that peo-ple in this area embrace farming. Going by the praise we have heard about the Kamulu Community Forest Association (CFA), the farming activities must be one of their success projects. The road finally leads us to Mucheene forest station where we meet the Station Manager, Mr. Noah Okoba, who welcomes us to his office for a brief interview. He tells us about the forest association, Kamulu CFA and later we are joined by its Chairman, Mr. Joseph Githinj. The Kamulu CFA was started in 2005 and was registered in the Attorney General’s office. At the beginning there were only 1,094 members but now they’re proud of having 3,079 members. The CFA was formed with the aim of environmental conservation. There are six community based organizations’ (CBO’S) that operate in Mucheene forest block namely; Kimbo, Nchoo-ro, Mujujune, Muruguma, Kirukuru and Katheri. Kamulu CFA has had tremendous success so far in managing Muceene For-est as its Chairman narrates. Since its inception in 2005, the CFA wanted everyone in the community to benefit indirectly from the forest since without going against its conservation mandate. Farming seemed like the perfect option because Meru County, especially in Kirua town, receives around 400mm of rainfall year-ly. After the brief interview, we are given two guides to take us round the forest. The forest is not merely an expression or representation of sacredness, the forest is sacredness itself, a feeling we get as we walk deeper into the forest. As we enjoy the beautiful atmosphere of this forest we notice a big strong tree standing majestic and proud amongst all other trees. Nothing is holier; nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree. One of the guides tells me that the tree, called ‘Mwiria’ in Meru

Language, is over 120 years old and this is true judging by its girth. The Indigenous part of the forest covers 4,537.99ha and has tree species such as, newtonia buchanan, Croton mac-rostychilis,cedar, prunus Africana, podocarpus,gracillour and acacia are the most common trees found in Mucheene forest. Gazetted in 1938, the forest occupies an area of ap-proximately 7,674.9Ha comprising of plantation, indigenous forests, bush land and bamboo. The members of the commu-nity benefit from the forest through the Plantation Establish-ment and Livelihood Program Improvement Scheme (PELIS) that can be accredited to the growth and success of the Kam-ulu CFA. They practice agro-forestry whereby they plant crops like potatoes, maize and beans in the midst of tree seedlings. When the crops are ready they are harvested and by this time the trees will have grown to a certain height where they need not be tendered to anymore. The farmers then move to another section with newly planted seedlings and the process goes on. Through this program the farmers have made huge amounts of money. The manager tells us that in the year 2015 the farm-ers got approximately 3million from the sale of potatoes. The CFA gets 20% from the sale of potatoes, 10% goes to the com-munity scouts and the other 10% remains in the CFA. Later in the year 2015, the CFA was able to accumulate funds from the PELIS program and buy a bus that caters for the transportation of CFA members and is also a source of income through hiring. The Kamulu CFA is proving the true potential of a Communi-ty Forest Association by combining forest conservation with rural development and community empowerment and pov-erty reduction objectives. Apart from agro-forestry members of the community graze their livestock in the forest and also fetch firewood. The beauty of Mucheene forest cannot be complete without visiting the Mau Mau cave. The cave is named Nto’ Mwenda after the leader of the Mau Mau fighters in the re-gion. We are told fighters used to hold their secret strategy meetings inside the cave without fear of being found by the colonial government. The cave is neatly tucked within the ground leaving only a small entrance space that you have to squeeze into. We get inside and a veil of darkness cloaks the natural beauty of the cave forcing us to use torches to trace our way inside. Bats fly furiously above our heads and as we walk around the cave we see burnt out fire, indication that people, probably the locals, still visit the cave often. As we move on with our tour we see small huts at the edges. We are keen to know why they are there. The huts are built by community scouts to scare away elephants who come to destroy their crops during the night. We keep our eyes firmly on the ground hoping to catch a glimpse of the animal grouped in the big five but have no such luck. Maybe next time we visit the forest lady luck will be on our side to see one of the big five. The forest has the potential of being an eco-tourism site considering the attractions like the Mau Mau cave, indig-enous trees and bamboo forest. The CFA is in talks with Ken-ya forest service and also get donors to start the eco-tourism site plan. As we leave Mucheene forest we feel Kenya is really a hot bed of beautiful sceneries and everyone has a role in conserving the environment because as Franklin D. Roosevelt said, ‘’A nation that destroys its soil destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.’’

A section of Muceene forest


SPORTS NEWS

By Evelyne Macharia Thousands of participants from all walks of life turned up for this year’s First Lady’s Half Marathon. Kenya Forest Ser-vice (KFS) staff joined the First Lady in the event held on Sunday 6th March, 2016 at the Nyayo National stadium. This was the third marathon of its kind since its inception by The First Lady of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. Margaret Kenyatta in 2014. As part of the organization’s corporate social responsibility, KFS has been involved in various activities that have benefited the com-munity at large.

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta flagged off the 21km Men’s and Women’s races at 7a.m and then took to the course in the 10km at 8am. The professional wheelchair race was fea-tured for the first time in the Half Marathon. In her speech at the conclusion of the marathon, she thanked everyone who supported her and noted that the money raised would be used to acquire mobile clinics in the remaining counties. In January 2014, the Beyond Zero Foundation was formed to partner with the government in reducing maternal and child mortality. Spearheaded by the First Lady of the Re-public of Kenya, the Beyond Zero Campaign is part of the initia-tives outlined in her strategic framework towards HIV control, promotion of maternal, new born and child health in Kenya that has acquired and launched 36 Beyond Zero mobile clinics. A sig-nificant impact on maternal and child health in the grassroots has been noted with more immunization and HIV/AIDS pro-grams being more accessible. Other notable dignitaries who participated include the First Lady of the Republic of Rwanda H.E. Jeannette Kagame, Deputy President William Ruto and his wife Rachael, Cabinet Secretaries Dr.Hassan Wario (Cabinet Secretary for Sport, Cul-ture and the Arts), Maj. Gen. (rtd) Joseph ole Nkaissery (Cabinet Secretary Interior and Coordination of National Government), Dr. Cleopa Mailu (Cabinet Secretary Health), among others. bon finance, that support implementation of a comprehensive National strategy.

By Lydia Ogada Egerton University has been at the forefront of pro-moting environmental management activities each year through planting of trees in the Mau complex and organizing environmental awareness for the last 10 years. Since 2012, the University has been rehabilitating the Njoro River, which is a flagship project under the Vision 2030 in partnership with oth-er stakeholders. For the last two years, the University and her partners have held a very successful cross country dubbed “Run for Mau” with two main objectives, to create awareness and to raise funds for rehabilitation of the Njoro River and the Mau ecosystem. The University organized its 3rd Mau-Egerton cross country event on Saturday 6th February 2016 at the University’s sports pavilion. The Chief Guests at the event were the event ambassadors, athletes Mercy Cherono, Asbel Kiprop and former athlete Benjamin Limo. The Cross Country was organized by the Egerton University, in partnership with Athletics Kenya and sponsored by a number of corporate institutions which includ-ed; Kenya Forest Service, Nation Media Group, Nakuru Coun-ty Government, Kenya Commercial Bank, Cooperative Bank of Kenya, Egerton Cooperative Sacco, AMACO Insurance, APA In-surance, Kenya Water Towers Agency, GDC, Kenya Vision 2030 among others. Several races were featured which included the 12km senior men’s race, 8km junior men, 8km senior women and 6km junior women. Others were the 4km race for corporate teams, Egerton University alumni and men over 45 years, 2km race for women above 35 years and children between 5yrs and 8yrs and the 1km race for class 1-4 pupils and the Egerton University staff above 55years. Kenya Forest Service through the ENCOM Division par-ticipated in the corporate category alongside other invited cor-porates and emerged the overall winners. Led by Eliud Kosgei the team ran a flawless race from start to finish claiming the corporate category for the second year running. The team that participated included Inspector Patrick Namagwa, Hosea Ro-tich, Eliud Kosgei, Daniel Kibet, Wilson Mwangi, Allan Khaemba and Andrew Koome.

KFS Takes Part in the First Lady’s Half Marathon

The 3rd Mau-Egerton University Cross Country

KFS Senior Management ladies together with the KFS athletics team (at the back) pose for a group photo with their medals and certificates at the end of the First Lady’s Half Marathon.

KFS Athletics team display their certificates at the end of the 3rd Mau-Egerton University Cross Country Marathon.


FROM THE ARCHIVES

A letter dated 2nd February, 1989 about a trip to South Nyanza

A letter dated 2nd February, 1989 about a trip to South Nyanza

A letter dated 19th December, 1949 about grazing permits in the Maji Mazuri area.


Tongue TwistersThrough three cheese trees three free fleas flew.

While these fleas flew, freezy breeze blew. Freezy

breeze made these three trees freeze.

The Tree Tilted Towards Tom Today

Quotes“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago.

The second best time is now.”

Anonymous

Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree, you water it

and make it survive, you haven’t done a thing. You

are just talking.

Wangari Maathai

Tree JokesWhat type of tree fits in your hand?

A palm tree.

How do trees access the internet?

They log on.

LEISURE

WORD SEARCH

CARTOON


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KNOW YOUR TREES

Also known as Ol-darboi in Maasai and Mwegea in Swahili, this is a tree with a rounded crown which grows to a height of 9m in open woodland and up to 18m in riverline areas. The widespread tree in East Africa grows at an alti-tude of 0-1850m. Sausage tree has a smooth grey-brown bark which becomes fissured and flakes with age. The bark which also serves medicinal purposes is a good rem-edy for headaches and dysentery. A unique feature of the Ki-gelia Africana tree is its compound leaves which are wavy and occur in threes, crowded at the ends of the branches. The leaves believed to be a curative for malaria, occur in 3-5 pairs plus a terminal leaflet broadly elliptic up to 10cm long. A round apex often with a sharp tip flowers on long rope like stalks 2-3m each containing up to 12 dark maroon flowers which are unpleasantly scented. Petals are trumpet shaped, folded and wavy. The Sausage tree is main-ly sought for its large grey green fruits or “Sausages” 30-70cm long which are a good dressing for ul-cers and sores after being dried. Al-though dried fruit is proven med-icine, unripe fruits are poisonous. Ripe fruit in several cases is also used in the fermentation of local brews.

Kigelia Africana (Sausage Tree)

Native Names

Nandi: KipkarkuriatKamba: YanguMeru: MutimmeruPokot: OcarashitSamburu: LarachiKikuyu: MuraraciiMaasai: Ol larashi


NATIVE NAMESKikuyu- muthigaLuo- sogomathaMaasai- ol’sognoiNandi- sogetMeru- musuuniKipsigis- moisotLuyhia- apacheKamba- muuba aume

Warburgia Ugandensis It is a tall evergreen tree native to Africa with scaly, pale green or brown bark. Leaves alternate, simple, dotted with glands, blade oblong-lance-olate, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 3-15 x 1.4-5 cm. Fruit a berry, at 1st green and ellipsoidal, later sub spherical and turning purplish, 3-5 cm in diame-ter, skin leathery, glandular. Seeds 2 or more with oily endosperm, com-pressed, more or less cordate, yellow-brown, 1-1.5 cm long. It occurs in lowland rainforest, upland dry evergreen forest and its relicts in sec-ondary bush land and grassland, also on territories in swamp forest. The tree does well at an altitude of between 1000-1200m above sea level.

Uses:

Fruit edible all parts have a hot peppery taste. The leaves and seeds are sometimes used to add flavor to curries. Leaves, pods and seeds are fed to livestock. It makes good timber for building and furniture, also used as firewood. The heartwood contains sesquiterpenoids that can be used against armyworms widely occurring in African crop pests. Dried bark is commonly used as a remedy for stomach-ache, constipation, toothache, cough, fever, muscle pains, weak joints and general body pains. Fresh roots are boiled and mixed with soup for the prevention of diarrhea. Bathing with a leaf decoction is used as a cure for several unspecified skin diseases. The inner bark is reddish, bitter and peppery and has a variety of applications. It provides treatment for the common cold; dried and ground to a snuff it is used to clear sinuses; and it is chewed, or smoke from the burning bark inhaled, as a remedy for chest complaints. The bark, roots or leaves can be boiled in water and the decoction drunk to treat malaria, but this causes violent vomiting. It is a good shade tree and is used as an ornamental. Fallen leaves provide green manure and mulch.

KNOW YOUR TREES

TOWARDS 10% TREE COVER

a quarterly magazine of the kenya forest service : … · a quarterly magazine of the kenya forest...

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