CS unveils Sh620m Mt. Elgon Forest conservation project

DOUGLAS MUDAMBO-KNA

Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry, Aden Duale, yesterday launched a Sh620 million Integrated Landscape Management project aimed at conserving and restoring the Mt. Elgon forest ecosystem in Bungoma County. 

Speaking during the launch, held at Kaberwa Primary Grounds in Kapsokwony, Mt. Elgon Sub-County, Duale stated that, in a bid to increase the region’s forest cover, the Kaberwa Tree Nursery is set to expand from one to two acres, increasing its annual seedling production from 500,000 to one million. 

“This expansion will support the restoration of Mt. Elgon Forest, in line with the government’s Sh15 billion National Tree Growing Programme. This initiative is meant to transform the livelihoods of our people,” he noted. 

Duale also mentioned that the expansion is expected to create jobs in tree nursery operations, conservation, and related fields, stimulating the economy within the Mt. Elgon Forest Ecosystem Project area. In attendance were Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka, Deputy Governor Jennifer Mbatiany, and other government officials.