Mjikenda elders set up council to protect forests

By Joseph Masha

KILIFI, KENYA: A council of elders from the Mjikenda community has been formed to promote protection and conservation of sacred forests known as Kayas, in Kilifi County and Coast Province.

The Kilifi County Kaya Elders Council aims at working closely with the National Heritage Ministry to conserve the culture and values of the Mijikenda.

Led by the chairman, Hussein Matsila, members of the council yesterday decried massive destruction of sacred forests at the coast region and vowed to protect them.

“We have witnessed massive destruction of the protected forest and the council will try and conserve them,” said Mr Matsila when he spoke in Kilifi town.

They made the remarks at the Coast Development Authority Social Hall in Kilifi town yesterday after attending a four-day training programme for the Kaya elders coordinated by World Wide Fund (WWF) for nature in collaboration with Coast Forest Conservation Unit.

Training programme

According to Elias Kimaru, the project executive officer of WWF in charge of Kwale Forest Restoration Project, the organisation has funded a two-year training programme for the Kaya elders.

Mr Kimaru said the Government had not been able to effectively protect gazetted shrines like the Kaya forests because the elders have not been incorporated.

“We have come up with a capacity building programme for elders from Kwale, Kilifi and Lamu counties,” said Kimaru. The officer said apart from capacity building, there was need to group the elders so that they are recognised and have official say in forest management.

The council adviser, Daniel Mwawara, said private developers had encroached Kaya forestlands.

Mr Mwawara from Kaya Mudzi in Rabai gave an example of Kaya Chonyi, Kaya Kambe and Kaya Bendeje in Rabai where indigenous trees have been cleared to create room for farming and residential areas.

“We are determined to protect the forest cover especially the Kaya shrines, but we cannot be effective due to lack of support from the Government,” said Mr Mwawara.

Empowered

Mr Mwawara said the Kaya elders should be empowered financially to play an effective role in conservation of the forests.

He said though most council members are elderly people in the society they have not been listed for payments of Sh1500 per month through the senior citizens payment programme.

He said if they were getting the payment they could manage the forest cover and protect them from destruction.