New bid to restore degraded Gwassi Hills

CUTS International Nairobi's officer Kenneth Ouma Suba (third left) and Central Deputy County Commissioner Beatrice Odira after signing an agreement to restore graded hills and forests in Sindo town. [James Omoro, Standard]

An ambitious project aims to restore degraded Gwassi Hills in Homa Bay county, where a landslide in April 2024 killed three children and a woman, and destroyed homes, farms, and infrastructure.

CUTS International Nairobi, in collaboration with Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA), local government, and Victory Firms, will build gabions and plant trees to combat soil erosion and prevent disaster.

Key representatives from these groups, including Suba Central Deputy County Commissioner Beatrice Odira and CUTS Nairobi's Kenneth Ouma, recently finalised the project's plan in Sindo town.

Ouma said the project will kick off in two weeks.

Speaking during the strategy meeting, he regretted that the landslide had caused untold suffering to residents.

"The project kicks off towards the end of this month. The plan is to build the gabions and plant trees to counteract the adversity of climate change," Ouma said.

The project will also be cascaded to Rang'wa Hill which suffers serious deforestation, Gembe and Lambwe forests.