People living near Kinale forest in Kiambu county have asked the Kenya Forest Service to allocate them land for cultivation.
A resident, James Kiragu, asked the KFS to consider allocating them the area where the KDF officers planted indigenous cider trees last week on Wednesday.
However, the head of Central highlands conservancy at KFS Samuel Ihure said locals will be allocated lands elsewhere since the local grass in the forest competes for nutrients with anything planted.
"We all know that grass competes with everything growing. Locals will definitely get pieces of lands, where they will grow foods as they take care of our trees. Once the trees are full grown, that is after three years, they leave," he said.
He spoke at Kinale forest, where he led KDF officers to plant 2,500 cider trees, at a 25-hectare land.
Present were lieutenant colonel, Joseph Yator and lieutenant colonel Stanley Kithuva, commandant school of transport.
Others were Kinale forestor Simon Mwema, and Kiambu region ecosystem conservator Paul Karanja.
Mweka said the exercise saw over 25 hectares of degraded forest land rehabilitated.
