 seeks to make a clarification on an article appearing in a section of the press alleging the Government){kind=link}
Kenya: Kenya Forest Service (KFS) seeks to make a clarification on an article appearing in a section of the press alleging the Government intends to give out 60,000 hectares of the Mau Forest Complex to Initiatives for Sustainable Landscapes (ISLA) Project funded by Dutch firm IDH.
This is false information meant to mislead the public. KFS has been partnering with ISLA in the rehabilitation and conservation of the South West Mau Forest for almost 10 years. The partnership has resulted in the construction of Forest Ranger Outposts to assist in forest protection and community empowerment projects to reduce pressure on the forest.
ISLA has also been instrumental in assisting Community Forest Associations in developing Participatory Forest Management Plans (PFMP) to enable them to benefit from their conservation efforts fully. This ongoing partnership does not imply in any manner handing over of the management of the forest.
The Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2016 mandates the Service with conservation and management of all gazetted forest blocks, and there are no intentions whatsoever to hand over management of forests to any other entity. Indeed, this was confirmed by His Excellency President William Ruto to the media at the COP28 Conference in Dubai.
ISLA, with funding from IDH, has been supporting the conservation of the Mau Forest, and the meeting between the Chief Conservator of Forests Alex Lemarkoko and the IDH CEO Daan Wensing on the sidelines of the COP 28 Climate Conference was simply to discuss the ongoing project and possible areas of future collaboration.
There are, therefore, no intentions by the Government to cede ownership of any gazetted forest in Kenya to any other entity apart from that of the Government of Kenya. Any information to the contrary is completely misleading and should disregarded.
The Government is in the process of finalizing Carbon Trading regulations, which will guide implementation of the Climate Change Act as amended to streamline carbon trading in the country for the benefit of all Kenyans.