•Green Zone Phase II is a six-year project which is implemented in 15 counties around Mount Kenya, Aberdares and Mau ecosystems.
•The project aims to promote new and more efficient ways of increasing forest cover, increasing food security, and improving community livelihoods.
Forest management and conservation got a shot in the arm on Wednesday after 45 motorcycles were flagged off.
The motorcycles worth Sh18.2 million were procured through the support of the Green Zones Development Support Project whose cycle is in phase II.
“The African Development Bank has extended a USD 50 million(Sh5.72 billion) concessional facilities for the project, with the Government of Kenya providing USD 5 million(572.6 million) as counterpart funds,” Kenya Forest Service Chief conservator Julius Kamau said.
The motorcycles were flagged off at the KFS headquarters in Karura, in an event that was also attended by KFS board chairperson Peter Kinyua and Green Zone project manager Jerome Mwanzia.
Kamau said the focus of the project is to help KFS advance its conservation role and more so to support the livelihoods of communities that reside around forests.
"That is a very integrated way because without minding their livelihood, we cannot be able to mind the protection capacity ourselves and what the community can be able to do," Kamau said.
KFS manages 6.4 million acres of forests and helps counties manage another 4.2 million acres.
He said Green Zone has been very strategic as it helps do what conventional government funding cannot do such as supporting the infrastructure, mobility and rangers units.
He said the project has helped in contracting communities and Community Forest Associations to be able to help KFS in regeneration.
Green Zone Phase II is a six-year project which is implemented in 15 counties around Mount Kenya, Aberdares and Mau ecosystems.
The program has been running since 2019 and is set to run up to 2025 in counties of Nakuru, Baringo, Kericho, Bomet, Kisii, Nyamira, Kiambu, Nyeri, Nyandarua, Murang'a, Kirinyaga, Embu, Tharaka-Nithi, Meru and Machakos.
The project aims to promote new and more efficient ways of increasing forest cover, increasing food security, and improving community livelihood.
It does this through sustainable and inclusive commodity value chains and market development.
The project is expected to help rehabilitate 337,750 hectares of degraded forest areas in the gazetted forest, community farmlands, schools, institutions and hilltops.
This will be a significant boost to KFS's strategic objective of rehabilitating 500,000 hectares of degraded natural forest areas as outlined in its third strategic plan 2018-2022.
The project will also promote bamboo production and commercialisation through the establishment of 1,000 hectares of bamboo in community farmlands and conservation areas.
The project will also enhance community incomes by Sh150,000 per annum for participating communities among other benefits.
Kamau said four seedlings trucks, two minibuses, oversight vehicles are among the many vehicles secured through the project.
He said a total of 122 assorted units consisting of field utility vehicles, tractors with trailers, minibuses, management and oversight vehicles and motorbikes have been delivered through the project.
Kamau said KFS is working to ensure that the vehicles are not abused but are maintained and used for the purpose for which it was intended.
"We will develop an in-house fleet management tool to manage the vehicles, not only the Green Zone but all the KFS fleet because we need to know where they all are," he said.
The chief conservator said fuel and maintenance of the fleet will be checked by the use of the new management system set to be ready by the end of April.
Kinyua on his part said that in order to manage forest resources in a prudent manner, KFS has to access the resources for planning, management, and conservation purposes.
He said the new fleet will renew the ageing fleet of KFS vehicles and increase efficiency in service delivery.
Kinyua said more vehicles will be availed through the project in the near future.
"I ask our field officers to prudently utilise them for the intended official duties. Deviation from this will attract disciplinary proceedings," he said.
(Edited by Francis Wadegu)