Kenya: The Kenya Forest Service Board, led by the Chairman, Job Chirchir, have gone through the draft Strategic Plan for 2023/2027 to review it to ensure it aligns with emerging forest management issues and government priorities for the sector.
The Chairman congratulated the management led by the Directorate of Strategy, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization for developing the draft strategy internally using expertise and technical input from within the Service.
On behalf of the Board, he also pledged full support to the management in implementing the strategy. He encouraged us to be courageous and execute our mandate without fear, noting that forest management activities were both legal and informed by scientific principles.
“As the Board Secretary, I assured the Board that we will input their valuable contributions into the document so that it can help guide the execution of all the programmes envisioned in the strategy”, said Alex Lemarkoko.
Furthermore, he asserted, “I pledged to the Board that management and staff of the Service will work had actualize the strategic plan.”
The Directorate of Strategy, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization, led by Senior Deputy CCF Charity Munyasia, presented the draft strategy that will guide the Service in the implementation of its programmes in order to achieve its mandate, which is to develop and sustainably manage through conservation and rational utilization of forest resources for the socio-economic development of the country.
The Board urged us to diversify sources of revenue to help in actualizing the strategy, including utilizing carbon markets to raise resources. We were also guided to rally all stakeholders to support forest conservation initiatives.
The Board also took the opportunity to bid farewell and congratulate Peter Leitoro, who is proceeding on retirement. I thanked him for his six years of Service in the KFS Board and over 36 years in the Public Service.
Other Board Members present included the Vice Chairman, Zakayo Maina, Dr. George Muthike, Abdallah Komesha, Mohamed Ibrahim and Isabella Kogei.