President William Ruto has directed that logging licenses be issued in an open manner.
The President said going forward, all logging licenses will be awarded through a transparent and open public tendering process.
This, he said, will ensure Kenyans get maximum value from the country's forest resources.
“To make sure that we exploit our forest resources in a transparent and effective manner, the old method of allocating forest resources in a manner that is not transparent has to stop,” President Ruto declared.
“Going forward, all public resources in the forests will be tendered for in a transparent manner,” the President said.
The President made the remarks at the passing out parade for 465 newly trained Kenya Forest Service (KFS) officers and 102 forest cadets at the National Youth Service headquarters in Gilgil in Nakuru County.
The event marks the highest intake of KFS officers since independence, joining 2,600 forest rangers hired last year to boost Kenya’s environmental conservation efforts.
Ruto lauded the reforms that have already been instituted at KFS over the past two years, noting that they have led to a dramatic reduction in illegal logging by 90 per cent.
“KFS leadership has demonstrated remarkable achievements,” he said. “Illegal logging has gone down by 90 per cent since we initiated reforms, and the service now largely funds its operations from internally generated revenue,” he said.
Ruto praised KFS for becoming a largely self-sufficient agency, relying on internally raised funds to cover its Sh4.7 billion budget.
This year, the government contributed only Sh280 million to KFS, with the rest coming from the agency’s own revenue-generating activities.
The President said he expects that by next year, KFS will no longer require funds from the Exchequer.
“You are an example to other agencies that it is possible to run on internally generated resources,” he told the graduates.
As the government pushes forward with its climate agenda, the newly trained KFS officers will oversee youth working under the ClimateWorX Mtaani project, which focuses on greening and cleaning up Kenyan cities and towns.
“These achievements speak volumes and consolidate our place as the environmental headquarters of the world,” Ruto said.
He urged the graduates to maintain high standards of professionalism and avoid the corrupt practices that have previously tainted KFS’s image.
“Do not allow your careers to be tainted by integrity issues, laxity, or incompetence,” he advised.
In a further boost to local industry, Ruto announced that the government will prioritise the use of locally manufactured timber products over imports.
This move aims to develop Kenya’s capacity to sustainably utilise its forest resources while boosting local manufacturing.
“We have already taken steps as Government to make sure that the use of locally available forest resources takes precedence over imported timber products,” he said.
Ruto also revealed plans to amend the Forest Conservation and Management Act (2016) to enhance collaboration and innovation among conservation stakeholders.
This will provide them with the tools needed to transform forest protection into a driver of sustainable growth.
Also present during the function include Environment CS Adan Duale, his Tourism counterpart Rebecca Miano and the Chief Conservator of Forests Alexander Lemarkoko.