Govt to Spend Over Ksh100 M on Forest Fence

The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has refuted reports of an alleged grabbing of a portion of land in the Kiamunyi Area, adjacent to the Menengai Forest in Nakuru County.

In a statement, the Kenya Forest Service termed the allegations as fake.

“The photo being circulated allegedly depicting a grabbed portion is private land. Kenya Forest Service is in the process of putting up an electric fence to secure this important forest,” it read in part.

Responding to the circulating photo, the Service disclosed that fencing Menengai Forest will cost over Ksh 100 million. 

“Fencing of Menengai Forest is being funded through ADB’s Greenzones Development Support Project Phase II at a cost of Ksh 110 million and is expected to be completed by December 2024,” it expounded. 

Moreover, the electric fence will cover the whole boundary which runs for 55 kilometres. 

KFS on Forest Protection

The Service also assured Kenyans that measures are in place to protect valuable forests in the country like the Menengai Forest.

“The Kenya Forest Service wishes to allay public concerns and reassure all Kenyans that Menengai forest and all other gazetted forests continue to be safeguarded from encroachment and grabbing,” it added. 

Earlier reports in the media alleged that a portion of land in Kiamunyi area adjacent to Menengai Forest in Nakuru County had been grabbed.

“In 2023 before the start of the fencing project, KFS surveyors undertook boundary alignment. The forest boundary is well-demarcated and there is no case of grabbing as alleged,” the service explained.

Furthermore, it elaborated that a team visited the site in the course of the week and established beacons that indicated that the alleged area is a private farm outside the gazetted forest boundary.

Also Read: Report Exposes Risks of Valuing Forests Mainly as Carbon Sinks

Land Grabbing in Kenya

All forests in the country are safeguarded from encroachment and grabbing through the Forest Conservation and Management Act of 2016.

Reports in the media had alleged that land was being cleared in the Menengai forest and that roads were under construction. 

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Also Read: KWS Issued with New Demands After Clarifying Alleged Secret Mining in Tsavo

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On June 31, 2024, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) announced that it was pursuing the recovery of government land and houses worth more than Ksh 5 billion that were grabbed. 

Furthermore, on September 6, 2024, EACC moved to court to recover six prime parcels of land worth Ksh 400 million illegally acquired from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) in Kericho Town.

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