Nakuru Ideal for Private Commercial Forestry

 Nakuru Deputy Governor H.E. Joseph Rutto receives a certificate of appreciation for gracing the KEFGA sensitization event held in Nakuru County

Secretary General KEFGA Mr. Benson Kanyi accompanied by Chairman Gen. (Rtd) Humphrey Njoroge address the media after the sensitization meeting in Nakuru recently

Gen. Njoroge making his presentation to local tree growers and journalists

Nakuru county which is home to the Southern Mau and Eburru water towers is one of the most suitable counties for commercial forestry in Kenya. The county is blessed with expansive land averaging between holdings of 1ha and several square kilometres and adequate rainfall. According to the Deputy Governor , H.E. Joseph Rutto, the county government will work with stakeholders like KEFGA to ensure that the potential and advantage that Nakuru has over other areas is exploited in a sustainable manner.

He was speaking in a function organised in Nakuru town by KEFGA to sensitize and create awareness on the potential of commercial forestry. The Kenya Forest Growers Association (KFGA) is calling upon the government and private institutions to support their objective aimed at providing a solution to the ever growing demand of wood and also contributed towards the conservation of natural forests whose purpose is to protect the water catchment areas.

KEFGA is a national association advocating for private forests and commercial forestry in Kenya. The association seeks to purse the need for ecologically sustainable management of forests for the environmental, economic and social benefits under the sustainable forest management paradigm.

The Energy Act and Policy and the Forest Policy and Forest Act recognise charcoal as an important source of energy and make provisions for its sustainable production, commercialization and utilization. In line with vision 2030, Kenya is developing forms of energy and charcoal as a key energy in this context. Private forest owners play a key role in wood fuel production and the creation of local value chains.

Despite this, the current Forest Bill, which is due for debate in Parliament soon, hardly recognises private commercial forestry and most emphasis is on conservation of natural forests in the limited state forests.

“The government recognises charcoal as an alternative energy, but it has failed to identify the means in which this trade is going to be sustained. Already, we are seeing the effects of wood demand in the country; deforestation in natural forests. We believe that the solution to wood supply as well as the sustainability of charcoal business in the country is through commercial forestry,” said Gen(Rtd) Humphrey Njoroge, the association’s chair during a sensitization event held in Nakuru for current and potential private forest growers.
The demand for wood in the country is quite high and 50 percent of this demand is being serviced from a mix of natural forests and plantation. Further, the 1994 Kenya Forest Master Plan predicted that there would be a 68 million tonnes per year wood deficit by 2020. Recent estimates for projected supply and demand for wood and wood products in the country are already 20 million tonnes deficit per year.

“The current plantation resources include 135, 000 hectares of government land and an estimated 14, 000 hectares of private land. This falls well short of what the country needs to produce a sustainable wood supply. Therefore, we are urging the government to provide proper legislation as well as financial support inorder to realize the full potential of Commercial Forestry,” said Mr. Kanyi.

Backing the association’s efforts was honourable Joseph Rutto the Deputy Governor of Nakuru County. “The situation on the ground is that Kenya has a wood deficit and we lose alot of revenue by importing from our neighbouring countries. We need to invest in commercial forestry,” said Honorable Rutto.

Despite very little technical and financial support, through its registered members, collectively KEFGA has invested Ksh. I.2 billion shillings and created 30, 000 jobs. This is proof that if the association gets financial support then achieving such outcomes will not be far fetched.

“We all see financial support for tea, coffee, wheat and pyrethrum from private banks, saccos, financial institutions in the likes of Faulu Kenya, which indicates that the financiers have faith in these businesses. We feel that it is about time tree growers also be considered because their business are based on very sound economics and science,” said Mr. Benson Kanyi, the association’s Secretary General.

Tree growers also recommend continuous training on tree technology as well as increased private sector involvement in forestry.  “If we are to reduce poverty levels in Kenya through job creation and reduce imports as well as ease pressure on our natural forest, then the challenges that forests growers face need to be addressed without further delay” added Mr. Kanyi.

“As KEFGA, we envision sustainable management of forests for environmental economic benefits. But this has been hindered by lack of financial support, a clear legal and policy framework, recognition in the Forest Bill and training facilities on the newest technologies of forest management,” said Gen(Rtd) Njoroge.