Government asked to allocate land for commercial tree growing during KEFGA Mombasa event.

The government is being urged to ensure it allocates land to the locals in the coast region in the one million acre Galana-Kulalu irrigation scheme that was launched in the beginning of this year by President Uhuru Kenyatta. 

The project, aimed at increasing food security, creating wealth and employment opportunities, will see the government inject some US dollars 42 million in the first phase of the project.

According to Mr. ZK Nderu, chairman of the Environment Trust, the government plans to rollout a tender to lease the land which will automatically lock out locals as they will not all qualify.

“I have made a plea to the government to come up with a plan that will ensure the common mwananchi in the coast region is allocated land. We need to have stake in this project. If foreigners get all the land, how then can we claim that the project is Kenya’s,” said Mr. Nderu.

Speaking during a sensitization event in Mombasa for current and potential private forest growers in the Coast region, Mr Nderu proposed to the government to allocate some 300 acres then subdivide into 5acres each and allocate to the locals.

“Let Kenyans settle in those lands and acquire skills to utilize the land. There are several projects that the locals can adopt to earn a leaving, for instance, tree planting for commercial purposes. Given the good weather condition in the coast region, tree planting would prosper and earn the farmers good returns,” he said.

The Kenya Forest Growers Association (KEFGA), is a voluntary membership organisation representing and promoting commercial forestry and tree growing in Kenya. The association has been on a campaign trail in regions with high potential for tree growing.

According to Mr. Benson Kanyi the Secretary General of KEFGA commercial forestry has real potential to produce wealth for the poor either through direct participation as growers or through employment.

“Commercial forestry has potential to solve unemployment in the rural areas because for every hectare planted, three jobs are created for at least eight years”, said Mr Kanyi adding that there are many landowners who are potential tree growers and government should support them by providing incentives like funding and training tree farmers feel that commercial forestry will contribute to economic growth if the government supports the sector and more so include the sector in the Forest Bill due for debate in Parliament soon. In the current bill, commercial forestry is hardly recognized and most emphasis is on the conservation of natural forests in the limited state forests.

KEFGA, was formed and registered in 2008. It currently has 300 member who include commercial growers ranging in scale from 2 to 1, 000 acres who are located in numerous counties. So far the association has invested Ksh.1.2 billion and created 30,000 jobs.