Mau Forest conservation initiative targets 33,138 hectares of forests

YOBESH ONWONG’A-MYGOV

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry, through the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme (MFC-ICLIP), intends to restore 33,138 hectares of forests and 668.7 hectares of wetlands over the next ten years.

The programme will establish 16 km of socio-economic buffer zones, fence 50 km of forest boundaries, and protect 237.5 km of wetlands and 100 km of riverine areas.

The Patron of the Programme, who is also the Principal Secretary for the State Department of Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Eng. Festus Ng’eno, stated that the Ministry, together with other actors in the conservation ecosystem, has launched this 10-year initiative, estimated at Sh 21.5 billion.

The initiative is dubbed the “Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme (MFC-ICLIP).”

“The first edition of the programme targets the sub-counties of Njoro, Molo, Kuresoi North, and Kuresoi South in Nakuru County and will be launched on 24th October 2025 in Kuresoi North, Nakuru County,” Eng. Ng’eno said.

The Mau Forest Complex, Kenya’s largest Afro-montane forest and major water tower, covers approximately 403,000 hectares and comprises 22 public forest blocks managed by the Kenya Forest Service, as well as one community-managed block, Maasai Mau.

The PS observed that the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme (MFCICLIP) will be implemented through five components which include; sustainable landscape management; Community Livelihood Improvement Programme (CLIP); circular economy; environmental education and research and project governance, monitoring, evaluation, learning and resource mobilization.

Nationally, the PS pointed out that MFC ICLIP Programme supports the implementation of Kenya’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP), and the National Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Strategy (2023–2032).

“The NCCAP targets the restoration of 10.6 million acres of degraded land through the growing of 15 billion trees in seven ecosystems targetting water towers, wetlands and riparian lands, natural and plantation forests and agroforestry in agro-ecosystems,” Eng Ng’eno said.