Kenya: KFS/KFC and Base Titanium Limited (BTL) have continued with discussions on BTL post-mining land use strategy (PMLU) and takeover of the BTL facility; and plan and strategize on PMLU implementation and actualization.
The teams also conducted a BTL assets assessment to establish how best KFS/KFC can best utilize existing facilities when the partnership is actualized.
Sustainable Conservation, Training and Agribusiness have been identified as the three main thematic areas of the PMLU strategy. BTL has identified KFS/KFC as a potential partner based on the KFC training model that fits with their facility and KFS mandate of conservation.
KFC, through the partnership, seeks to establish a centre of excellence training institution at the BTL facility as part of the PMLU strategy, which identified a lack of such institutions in Kwale County.
The training facility will be the first of its kind in Kwale County and shall offer adjacent communities training opportunities and bridge the labour market gap by developing a market-ready workforce.
KFS shall rehabilitate, sustainably conserve, grow trees and continue protecting adjacent Buda and Bongoni forests to contribute to the achievement of growing 15 billion trees by 2032 and climate change mitigation. Through CFAs, KFS shall implement Agribusiness.
The team was led by KFS Board member Peter Leitoro who expressed KFS Board’s commitment to ensuring the success of the partnership. Also present was Dr Benjamin Kinyili representing the Ag. Chief Conservator of Forests and Principal KFC Dr Elizabeth Wambugu.
Yesterday, Kenya Forest Service, along with the Turkana County government, conducted an International Day of Forests (IDF) sensitization exercise and tree planting activities within Turkana County.
A total of 200 seedlings were planted at Nadoto primary school, 200 at Nangitony Primary school, 200 at Nangolekerup primary school, 50 at the Nadoto farmers society office, and 50 at Nadoto health centre while 1000 seedlings were distributed to the local communities.
These activities are a build-up of the main celebration of IDF, which will be presided over by the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Soipan Tuya on 21st March.
The activities led by the Turkana County Forest Conservator, Richard Guya, also sensitized the community on the presidential directive of planting 15 billion trees to achieve 30% tree cover by 2032. The communities were urged to embrace the use of non-extractive forest products to protect forest resources from destruction.
