This archive report was first published on 2 December 2019.
Kenya's water towers are facing a severe threat due to deforestation, with the country losing 0.3% of its forests every year. To combat this issue, The Forest Challenge 2019 was held at Kereita Forest in Kiambu County, bringing together over 500 participants from across the country.
Organised by the East African Wild Life Society (EAWLS), the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), and Kijabe Environment Volunteers (KENVO), the event aimed to raise funds for the rehabilitation of Kenya's water towers. The Forest Challenge is currently in its sixth year since inception and has made significant headway towards achieving its goal of reforesting 600 hectares of key water towers in Kenya.
Kenya Forest Service Chief Conservator Julius Kamau flagged off the event, which was attended by Kiambu County Executive Member for Environment David Kuria, senior KFS officials, and EAWLS' Executive Director Nancy Ogonje. The participants, both individual and corporate sponsors, waded through mud pits and rivers, tumbled up and down slippery trails, all in the name of preserving and expanding Kenya's natural forests.
According to Mr. Kamau, attaining the 10 percent tree cover by 2022 requires forming partnerships with non-state actors, through tree planting initiatives that aim to spur a tree growing culture among the youth today. He added that the recent landslide in West Pokot was a wake-up call for all of us to come together and try to mitigate such incidents by planting more trees.
With support from corporates including UAP Old Mutual, Faulu, Safaricom PLC, Total, and the Kiambu County Government, The Forest Challenge is making significant progress towards its goal. The event seeks to reverse the trend of deforestation by increasing awareness on forest conservation while helping to protect and manage the degraded forests of Kenya's critical water towers.
