Kaptagat forest restoration marks 10 years with nearly 3,000 hectares restored

Section of Kaptagat Forest fencing which was allegedly vandalised by unknown people. [Stephen Rutto, Standard]

An ambitious initiative to restore the depleted Kaptagat forest ecosystem, a vital water tower in the North Rift covering 4,000 hectares, marked 10 years by announcing that it had already restored over 2,700 hectares of forest.

The initiative, by Kaptagat Integrated Conservation Programme, covers an ecosystem comprising Kipkabus, Penon, Kaptagat, Sabor, Kessup and Elgeyo forest stations, which together form one of Kenya's critical water towers supporting thousands of livelihoods in the North Rift region.

The initiative has already seen more than two million trees planted, restoring 2,765 hectares whose impact is already beginning to be felt by the local community.

The initiative also comprises livelihood improvement programmes, with locals being issued with high-value crops including avocado and coffee.

“If we are to address the issue of forest degradation, there should be deliberate action to attack the drivers of the vice. We have identified poverty as one of the key drivers. When poverty levels are high, community members will depend on forests for purposes of their livelihoods,” Treasury Principal Secretary Dr Chris Kiptoo said.

The initiative also involves enforcing controlled grazing, especially on locals adjacent to the forest who will be allowed to graze their livestock through controlled monthly licenses.

“This will be structured through a participatory management plan where specific areas will be set aside for grazing and agree on the carrying capacity which that ecosystem can support,” said Dr Kiptoo.

Among other livelihood improvement programmes, the programme has also rolled out intensive dairy farming through the issuance of high-breed livestock.

The programme targets 28,000 households who will also benefit from one acre of fodder through an agroforestry system.

One of the key pillars of the programme is to offer clean cooking options, and this includes the provision of cooking gas and cylinders to reduce reliance on wood fuel.

At the same time, the government is in the process of fencing the 273-kilometre perimeter of the Kaptagat ecosystem. Dr Kiptoo said the programme was being done by the Kenya Forest Service, through an exhaustive consultative process.

“The restoration programme is already transforming households, showing how restoration meets impact,” said Dr Kiptoo.

The government has assured residents that the planned fencing will not deny them the right to access the forest for firewood, controlled grazing of their livestock and extracting herbal medicine.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, who was the guest of honour at the 10th edition of KICP, presided over the launch of the fencing a fortnight ago, assured the community bordering the water tower that the fencing is not in any way meant to block their access, but they will continue reaping the benefits.

"The only difference is that after fencing, members of the public will be able to access the forest through designated access areas. The people and the community will continue benefiting from the ecosystem even as they protect and conserve the forest," Kindiki said.

According to Dr Kiptoo, trees have a big commercial benefit and if Kenyan farmers embrace them, they can be exported to other countries and earn them income.

Kaptagat forest is a lifeline to thousands of people, with key rivers originating from it, while others recharge their volumes there. It is estimated that indigenous trees cover 650 hectares.

Over the years, more than 95 per cent of the forest has been zoned for plantation, but due to unchecked harvesting, over-grazing and a lack of sustained commitment and enforcement of conservation activities, logging has been actively taking place for decades now, a big blow to conservation efforts.

This human activity has been threatening to destroy the watershed clustered under the Cherang'any water catchment as well as preventing regeneration and rehabilitation of the natural forest.

According to Cornelius Chepsoi, an environmentalist, the continued destruction not only affected the indigenous trees but also interferes with the rain patterns.

“The water levels are currently dropping rapidly; surprisingly, Eldoret is experiencing a water shortfall of 40,000 cubic metres each day,” said Chepsoi.

Eldoret City requires over 50,000 cubic metres of water and demand is expected to rise because of population increase.

The government intends to plant over 39 million trees in the region this year alone.

The trees will be planted on the open fields in the forests and at individual farmlands and public institutions.

“To preserve water catchment areas in the forest, we have initiated a plan to zone areas for plantation and indigenous trees in all forests in the region, which is outlined in the KFS management plan,” said Dr Kiptoo.

The North Rift hub of Eldoret is mainly relying on a water supply station constructed more than 50 years ago in Kaptagat forest alongside the Chebara Dam in Elgeyo Marakwet County, which provides 39,000 cubic metres of water per day.

This is against the daily demand of 53,000 cubic metres of Eldoret town, with a population of more than one million people.