• 32,000 seedlings were grown during 7th annual tree planting session
• Move aims to accelerate the attainment of the 30 per cent tree cover
Image: HANDOUT
The restoration of the Kaptagat Forest ecosystem has received a shot in the arm after Kenya Reinsurance Corporation donated Sh1 million towards the rehabilitation of 988 acres.
In addition, the corporation will distribute 100,000 avocado fruit seedlings to forest-adjacent communities as a way of incentivising them to embrace environment conservation as a lifestyle.
"We have contributed to our country’s efforts in combating climate change,” Kenya Re group managing director Hillary Wachinga said.
He added that they are also helping to protect biodiversity and achieve the Sustainable Development Goal number 13 on climate change.
"The avocado seedlings are aimed at giving the community a reason to double their efforts towards forest conservation by planting fruit trees in their farms for commercial gain," Wachinga said.
The donations were made to the government through the National Environment Trust Fund (Netfund) ahead of the 7th annual Kaptagat Forest Tree Planting.
The edition was held on Saturday at Kessup Forest Block in Elgeyo Marakwet county and was presided over by President William Ruto.
Wachinga said they are passionate about the environment through their 'Niko Fiti' environment campaign.
Netfund CEO Samson Toniok praised Kenya Re's initiative.
“Your donation directly benefits the community-based women and youth-led organisations engaged in the tree nursery business," he said.
The nurseries will provide the 500,000 indigenous tree seedlings needed for Kaptagat forest rehabilitation, Tonok said, adding that local communities are key to the success of forest conservation.
Some 32,000 seedlings were grown during the edition in a bid to accelerate the attainment of the 30 per cent tree cover.
The state intends to plant 15 billion trees in the next 10 years at a cost of Sh600 billion.
This means each year, the budget is about Sh60 billion.
The 15 billion tree campaign translates to 30 trees per Kenyan per year over the next 10 years.
The state hopes that by 2032, the country’s tree cover will have hit 30 per cent from the current 12.13 per cent.
The forest cover increased from 5.9 per cent in 2018 to 8.83 per cent in 2021, while the national tree cover stands at 12.13 per cent, above the constitutional target of 10 per cent.
Results generated from the National Forest Resources Assessment 2021 show the country has 5.2 million ha of national forest cover, which represents 8.83 per cent of the total area.
Kaptagat forest station is part of the larger Cherangany forest ecosystem, an important water catchment for Lake Victoria and one of the five water towers in Kenya.
Kenya Re’s commitment to contributing towards forest rehabilitation builds on last year’s event, where they planted 50,000 tree seedlings at Uplands Forest Station in Kiambu county with support from the local community forest association.
This year, Kenya Re is slated to plant 10,000 tree seedlings at Lenana School, Nairobi, in furtherance of its environmental conservation efforts.
This year, the Kaptagat Forest Annual Tree Planting event will take place around Kessup, Sabor, Kaptagat, Pennon and Kipkabus forest blocks.
The Kaptagat forest is deep within Elgeyo Marakwet county and acts as a good high-altitude training site for local and foreign elite athletes.
Some of the athletes who have trained in the forest have become world champions and earned the forest even bigger accolades.
Kaptagat forest is a unique ecosystem where people, nature and the economy interconnect and its conservation remains critical.
During the sixth edition of the tree planting drive last year, more than 250,000 mixed tree seedlings were planted to rehabilitate Kaptagat, Penon, Sabor, Kessup and Kipkabus forest stations in the latest efforts to restore the water tower.
In 2019, marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge signed an MoU with Kenya Forest Service (KFS) to adopt 50.8 ha of Kaptagat forest.