The Kenya Forest Service is reconstituting all Community Forest Associations in the country to conform to the new Forest Policy which became law four years ago.
The move is aimed at ensuring the CFAs coordinate activities within the forest areas including projects and be able to manage finance and projects that are donor-funded.
Countrywide, there are 255 CFAs, the majority of whom were operating using the old law. These will be reconstituted to conform to the new laws.
On Wednesday, KFS Board Chairman Peter Kinyua, KFS Head of CFAs Josyline Thambu and Head of Biodiversity James Mwangombe joined Arabuko Sokoke stakeholders for a dialogue to harmonise conservation efforts in the forest at the Gede Forest Station.
Arabuko Sokoke is one of East Africa's largest remaining coastal forests and has three CFAs–Gede, Jilore and Sokoke.
The move seeks innovations and interventions that will raise new conservation approaches, eradicate duplication of roles and promote accountability.
Stakeholders who participated in the dialogue included Friends of Arabuko Forest, Arocha Kenya, Nature Kenya and Arabuko Sokoke Forest Adjacent Dwellers Association.
Speaking to journalists after the forum, Kinyua said the aim was to come up with ways of streamlining the activities of interested parties in line with forest conservation and management laws.
The KFS board chairman said CFAs are used to manage forests hence the need to be aligned with the Forest Act, 2016.
He said the programme has been going on in other parts of the country successfully citing the most recent one–Kirisia; where CFAs were formed.
In Arabuko, he said, the sensitisation meeting began on Monday as the forest helps in the biodiversity at the Coast.
He said their aim is to streamline the CFAs and find a way to work together.
"One idea is technology. Yesterday, we introduced a company that works with communities to enhance agricultural activities with technology around the forests," he said.
What the community lacks is what to grow, Kinyua said, adding that with technology that would be made possible.
To achieve that, experts would tests soils and advise the community on the best crops and the best seeds to plant.
"We don't want to go by the tradition of beekeeping, honey harvesting and so on, we want to show them that even without going into the forest, we can help them organise themselves to create economic activities," he said.
He said they were taking the matter seriously and would move around the country to ensure all CFAs are reconstituted.
Head of CFAs Thambu said the aim was to help communities living adjacent to forests improve their livelihoods by organising them and identifying activities they want to do in the forest.
She said CFAs are legal entities registered under the Registrar of Societies which certifies them to work with KFS.
Thambu said organising CFAs would encourage donors and partners to fund their activities.
"There are challenges facing CFAs including political interference and low funding, we are the ones supposed to do capacity building to let them know what they need to do in the forest," she said.
Arabuko Sokoke Forest Adjacent Dwellers Association chairman Abbas Sharif welcomed the move by KFS saying it would help bring together stakeholders to conserve the forest sustainably.
He said different stakeholders implement their own ideas without consulting ending up in duplication of projects, citing it as a main challenge.
Edited by R.Wamochie
