KFS to complete fencing of forests in 15 counties

A forest ranger plants a tree in Chepalungu forest in Bomet during an exercise led by Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore. [Gilbert Kimutai, Standard]

Menengai and Chepalungu forests in Nakuru and Bomet counties will be fenced off.

According to a tender notice by the Kenya Forest Service, this is part of the implementation of the second phase of the green zones development support project, an initiative being financed by the African Development Bank.

Chepalungu, Siongiroi and Menengai are part of the forests that spread across 15 counties targeted in phase two of the project.

Menengai and Chepalungu forests have faced challenges of degradation over the years and fencing is expected to ease encroachment and logging.

Chepalungu Forest straddles Chepalungu and Sotik sub-counties and covers 12,000 acres. It comprises two blocks that form part of Bomet's forest stations, including Mara Mara, Itare and Ndoinet.

The project's current phase has been ongoing since 2018 and is expected to be completed this year.

Besides these, other forests to be covered in the project are in Embu, Meru, Machakos, Tharaka Nithi, Nyeri, Murang'a, Kirinyaga, Kiambu, Nyandarua, Baringo, Kericho, Nyamira and Kisii counties.

The selected forests are spread across the four forest conservancies and three out of five of Kenya's water towers including Mt Kenya, Aberdares and the Mau complex. The forests were selected based on levels of degradation, and social economic and environmental vulnerability.

The completion of phase one of the project resulted in the rehabilitation and regeneration of 309,000ha of degraded forestland, which the statistics from the government noted translated to a 0.54 per cent increase in the national forest cover.