Counting the cost of forest destruction in Chepalungu

During the 2007 post-election violence, many Kenyans battled with security agencies in the streets and elsewhere.

A community adjacent to Chepalungu forest in Bomet county, however, directed their anger at the forest.

“We wish we knew that we would later be affected by destroying the forest,” Joseph Towet, chair of the Chepalungu Apex Community Forest Association, said.

Chepalungu forest straddles Chepalungu and Sotik subcounties. The forest covers 12,000 acres.

It comprises two forest blocks that form part of Bomet's forest stations, which also include Mara Mara, Itare and Ndoinet. The blocks are Kapchumbe, about 10,000 acres, and Siongiroi, 2,000 acres.

The two blocks are separated by communities, providing a buffer of about 20km.

The forest is a remnant semi-deciduous forest, which, originally composed predominantly of Olea (mainly Olea Africana) and Cedar (Juniperus procera).

The two species are presently rare in the forest following intensive harvesting in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

What remained of the forest was extensively destroyed in 2007-08 as a result of the post-election violence that rocked the country.

Since then, the forest has failed to regenerate mainly due to immense pressure from human-related activities; mostly grazing, charcoal production and unsustainable firewood collection of the few trees and shrubs remaining.

These activities have jeopardised the forest’s ecological integrity, and as a result, diminished the availability of forest products and water resources for the local and other downstream populations.

The forest is the source of several tributaries that feed into the Mara and Sondu Rivers. Most of these have turned seasonal after the forest was destroyed.

The areas that were once forested are gradually turning into bushland and grassland, with the key tree species replaced by the proliferation of secondary invasive species.

WHAT WAS LOST

Towet, the CFA chair, said indigenous trees such as Olea and cedar were completely destroyed. Sacred places were also destroyed. However, those hosting beehives were spared.

“Bees are highly respected,” he said, adding that interfering with beehives can attract a curse.

Towet said the forest was intact in the early 1960s. However, the violence that rocked the country gave adjacent residents the opportunity to chase Kenya Forest Service rangers before embarking on destruction. The community is now feeling the pinch.

Joseah Kelong said the forest used to be the source of herbal medicines that have since disappeared as a result of the war waged against the forest.

“We now have several challenges. Our farm produce is not doing as it used to,” Kelong said.

“Temperatures have peaked. The weather patterns have completely changed. The water levels have also declined, which has hurt food security,” he said.

Kelong, who was born adjacent to the forest in 1958, said politics comes and goes, while forest destruction will have a long-lasting impact.

He said honey, which was plenty in the area, has also diminished.

As violence peaked, the furious and wild locals burned down the office that was hosting forest rangers.

During the skirmishes, one ranger was killed by the locals, which led his colleagues to flee from the area. After all the rangers had fled, the forest and its indigenous trees was a free-for-all.

The destruction affected some of the rivers, some of which drain Sondu, while others support the Mara ecosystem.

The streams draining to Sondu include Reberwet, Atebwo and Legetetiet, while those draining to Mara include Kapkibos, Chemaetany and Kapchetirorit.

The tide is changing, however, now that the community living adjacent to the forest has embraced conservation efforts.

RESTORATION EFFORTS

Bomet county ecosystem conservator Ann Nyaoge said the destruction is now a thing of the past.

Nyaoge said KFS is using several approaches to bring back the forest as Kenya Forest Service alone cannot manage.

On June 2, KFS chief conservator of forests Julius Kamau led the Service in launching the Chepalungu forest station Participatory Forest Management Plan (PFMP). He also signed a Forest Management Agreement (FMA) between the Service and the Chepalungu Apex Community Forest Association.

Nyaoge said Bomet currently has a 15 per cent forest cover and is working towards attaining 22 per cent.

The county was also among the first to have signed the Transitional Implementation Plans (TIPS), which now provides an avenue through which KFS collaborates with the county on forestry development.

Nyaoge said KFS has partnered with USA Forest Service, Bomet county government, ISLA and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Kenya to restore the depleted forest.

She said the county has developed infrastructure to support the conservation of the forest by constructing a ranger’s camp and deploying a forest station manager at the station, which did not have one for the past 13 years.

The county government is also supporting the ongoing construction of a forest station office for Chepalungu.

PROGRESS MADE

The partnership is starting to change the face of the forest. With funding from Edeka and Sports for Future through WWF-Germany, WWF-Kenya embarked on an ambitious tree-planting initiative.

Kevin Gichangi, the WWF-Kenya Eastern Mau programme coordinator, said restoration efforts are bearing fruits.

“Since November 2019, more than 211,000 tree seedlings have been planted, with a survival rate of around 80 per cent. The area covered is now 200 hectares,” he said.

Tree seedlings are propagated by communities coordinated by the Chepalungu Community Forest Association.

Gichangi said six community scouts who are members of the Chepalungu Apex Community Forest Association closely monitor the site.

In addition to planting, a 4.7km fence was erected in June 2020 along the perimeter of the 1,733-hectare Siongiroi block.

The perimeter of the Siongiroi block is 20km, and the team feels that it is possible, with collaboration, to fence off the entire block.

The Kenya Forest Service and the county government are mobilising resources to extend the fence.

Other players, such as Tenwek Community Development, have also fenced off part of the forest so it can regenerate on its own.

A small portion that had been fenced off by National Environment Management Authority in 2015 has regenerated on its own.

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

Success can be attributed to many factors. These include the close collaboration between partners, which ensures they play complementary roles.

There is also strong community contribution and participation, which has led to the project surpassing its target. And good rains that were experienced in both planting seasons have also helped.

Despite the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, the project has been able to move forward.

This was after consultations with the relevant authorities to ensure that Ministry of Health guidelines on the pandemic were strictly adhered to.

It is expected that in the coming financial year, tree planting will be further enhanced, especially due to the momentum gained so far with strong enthusiasm by all stakeholders, particularly the community.

This will be further boosted by contributions from partners. The county government, for example, has set aside funds to rebuild the KFS Forest Station Office, which was burnt down in 2007-08.

Governor Hillary Barchok has further promised to reward 10 CFA members who have the highest tree survival rates in their allocated land parcels in the forest.

Moreover, communities adjacent to the forest are practising the Plantation Establishment and Livelihood Improvement Scheme (Pelis).

Under the scheme, the community is allowed to grow short-season crops, such as beans, sweet potatoes and cabbages, while protecting the indigenous trees that have been planted.

This has boosted food security while enhancing livelihoods as each farmer is allocated half an acre.

About 2,500 farmers are being supported through Pelis.

Edited by T Jalio