CS Barasa leads push to reclaim Mt Elgon’s degraded landscape

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Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa has unveiled a Sh10.1 billion restoration and livelihood improvement programme to rehabilitate the Mt Elgon ecosystem over the next decade.

The 10-year plan targets to restore 103,000 hectares of degraded forest and farmland and will bring together national and county governments, development partners, conservation groups, and local communities to protect one of Kenya’s key water towers.

Speaking during the Mt Elgon Day 2025 breakfast meeting at the KICC in Nairobi, CS Barasa said Mt Elgon, designated in 2023 by UNESCO as Africa’s second Transboundary Biosphere Reserve, faces severe degradation due to deforestation and unsustainable land-use practices.

“Mount Elgon has suffered the effects of deforestation and unsustainable land use, leading to declining water levels and reduced ecosystem services--reminding us that the cost of environmental destruction is too high to bear,” she said.

The programme, which runs from 2025 to 2035, aims to restore 35,000 hectares of forest blocks and 68,000 hectares of adjacent farmland, with an annual target of 10 million trees. It will also promote sustainable agriculture, strengthen cross-border conservation governance with Uganda, and improve livelihoods through agroforestry and agricultural value chains in dairy, coffee, maize and horticulture.

Forestry Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi said the ministry is consolidating scattered restoration efforts across different forests into coordinated national programmes, noting that similar work has already started in the Mau ecosystem.

“We have started in a big way with the Mau Forest, and the momentum is strong,” Mr Mugambi said. “What we are doing now is bringing all these activities together under one programme, just like we are doing with Mount Elgon.”

He said Mount Elgon contributes an estimated KSh115 billion annually to Kenya’s economy, describing the Sh10 billion restoration budget as “a small investment to protect a resource that sustains the country’s water and livelihoods.”

Environment and Climate Change PS Dr Eng Festus Ngeno said a collaborative approach would ensure the programme’s long-term success and community ownership.

“Mount Elgon is a lifeline that sustains millions of people through its forests, farmlands and rivers,” PS Ngeno said.

“Just as we have done through the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Livelihoods Improvement Programme, collaboration is key to ensuring that conservation goes hand in hand with livelihoods and climate resilience.”

Mining Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai, who has been appointed the patron and champion of the Mt Elgon Restoration Initiative, said the project will integrate environmental conservation with income-generating ventures.

“We must link restoration to livelihoods so that communities see tangible benefits from conservation,”PS Kimtai said.

Environmental advocate Sallah Oketch lauded PS Kimtai for his commitment to environmental causes, saying his leadership had revitalized the Ministry of Mining’s role in national restoration efforts.

CS Barasa also announced that November 7 will be marked annually as Mt Elgon Day to rally stakeholders, conservationists and local residents in tree planting and awareness campaigns.

“This initiative seeks to foster collaboration and create green jobs while promoting clean energy, water access, and youth engagement through innovation, sports, and culture,” she said.

The programme aligns with President William Ruto’s directive to grow 15 billion trees by 2032 under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and the National Climate Change Action Plan.