Song & Dance As Management Plans Are Launched For Geta & Kinangop North Forests

Geta Forest, Aberdares- 25^th May. Song and dance rent the chilly air on the foothills of the mighty Aberdares as members of the Community Forest Associations, KFS Staff, WWF, GBM staff, local leadership and community members shared in the joy of launching the Participatory Management Plans.  

The culmination of the long journey walked by the State forests agency, WWF and the local community to seek an arrangement through which the management of the forest can be facilitated was worth the long wait.

 Management Plans are documents detailing the roles of each partner in management of forests across the country as well as the activities to be undertaken over a specified period of time in this case being five years. It is especially designed to benefit communities living adjacent to forests by giving them the opportunity to draw benefits from the forest while they assist in its conservation.

This was in realization by the drafters of the new forestry legislation that the exclusion of ‘forest adjacent communities’ from the management of forests was not only affecting the livelihoods of thousands of Kenyans but was also counterproductive as the same people were responsible for the destruction of the forests in their quest to make a living albeit illegally.

So far KFS has approved 16 Management Plans and another 14 are awaiting approval by the Director KFS in the next few months. This will give thousands of people a chance to directly benefit from sustainable forest management. The Service is currently in the process of launching Management Plans for forests in the Aberdares, Laikipia and Coast Forest Conserfancies .

In the recent past other plans for Upper Imenti, Gathiuru, Kabaru, Hombe, Kangaita and Castle forests in Eastern and Central Forest Conservancies were launched.  

Herebelow are some of the scenes from today’s event officiated by Senior Deputy Director of Forests, Mr. Emilio Mugo and the Head of Central Forest Conservancy, Mr. Waichihi, Chairman of Central Highlands Conservancy, Mr. Kibaki, Mr. Mohamed from WWF Kenya Office.

Report Courtesy Raphael Mworia