The Kiambu county government wants the Kenya Forest Service to involve community forest associations in tree harvesting.
Water and Environment executive David Kuria said a lot of requests have been made in the past to have CFAs' input during tree harvesting, saying they help in maintaining forests.
Kuria said his department has drafted a bill that will be presented to the county assembly seeking to have locals participate through the CFAs when trees are being harvested.
“The CFAs jealously take care and guard the forests. They participate during seedlings plantings even when different organisations visit forests for tree planting exercise,” he said.
“Involving the CFAs will motivate them more to take care of the forest vegetation. Although they play a big role in tree planting, they always feel left out during tree harvesting,” Kuria said.
He spoke on Friday at Kireita Forest in Lari subcounty where an environment research organisation handed over a map with the forests contents.
According to Kijabe Environment Volunteers Organisation, the map will guide anyone who wishes to know anything about the forest.
Kenvo director Nelson Muiru said the map identifies all tourism attraction sites, water sources, wild animals and birds, types of vegetations and trees that grow in the forest among other things.
“We sought permission from KFS to research. We spent 10 months to complete the research. Today, we handed the map to CFA, who will hand it over to KFS,” Muiru said.
Among those who attended the event were Kireita CFA chairman David Wakahanda, Kireita forester Moses Kiige and Kijabe assistant county commissioner Geraldine Barasa.
Kuria lauded Kenvo for coming up with strategies that will empower the community to know about the resources in the forests around them so that they can guard them.
Barasa thanked the CFA and the forest stakeholders for supporting President Uhuru Kenyatta's initiative of conserving and replanting trees in the forests.
-Edited by SKanyara
