Kenya: The President of the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation, Ambassador Tegla Loroupe, has this morning paid a courtesy call on the Acting Chief Conservator of Forests (Ag. CCF) Mr Alex Lemarkoko in his office at the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Headquarters in Karura.
The two held fruitful discussions on the role of forest conservation in fostering peace, especially in the North Rift Region. In particular, Amb. Loroupe expressed interest in collaborating for the conservation of Cheranganyi and Mt. Elgon Forest ecosystems noting that they were crucial for the livelihoods of the local communities.
She further noted that the conservation of these forests will improve their water production capacity, which will, in turn, ensure that the down stream communities in the Kerio Valley and the neighbouring counties get adequate water for domestic use and livestock and thus reduce conflicts.
Amb. Loroupe said that tree planting will also stabilize the escarpments and prevent calamities such as the landslide that occurred at Kiptogoch in 2019, which claimed a number of lives.
She said that through her Foundation, they will mobilize the local communities to plant trees in order to reach the 15 billion trees target set by His Excellency the President and enable the country to attain a 30% tree cover by 2032.
On his part, the Ag. CCF said that he was delighted to host the legendary athlete who was doing a very noble job of fostering peace in the North Rift region. He said that the Service will hasten the signing of the Memorandum of Collaboration between the Service and the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation so that the two institutions can work together in forest conservation and peace building initiatives.
Mr. Lemarkoko said that the Service was keen to involve the community in order to enhance forest conservation, adding that this had seen a marked decrease in forest crimes.