Technical Students Partner with Kenya Forest Service to Restore Mount Kenya Water Towers

Nyeri, Kenya – In a significant conservation effort, students from technical institutions in the Mount Kenya Region have joined forces with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) to rehabilitate degraded water towers, starting with an afforestation program at Tumutumu Hills in Nyeri County. The initiative aims to plant 350,000 tree seedlings across various sites this year.

According to Kenya News Agency, a tutor and environmental champion leading the project, over 20,000 trees have already been planted in Tumutumu Hills. The effort targets several hills that have been heavily impacted by charcoal burning and illegal logging, including Lusoi Hills in Laikipia County. Once rich in wildlife and water springs, Lusoi Hills suffered severe degradation due to encroachments by nearby Solio Settlement Scheme residents.

Despite previous efforts by local Community Forest Associations, which saw 450,000 trees planted over the last five years, much of the 700-acre Lusoi Hills remains barren. The students plan to plant 30,000 indigenous trees there to restore its status as a vital water tower and rejuvenate its role as a wildlife conservation area.

Karwitha emphasized the broader purpose of this project: “The purpose of this exercise is to create awareness about environmental conservation since with climate change we need to be proactive for the future generation.”

KFS Director in charge of Laikipia, Paul Ng’ang’a, highlighted the availability of nine government-run tree nurseries offering seedlings at no cost to support the goal of increasing Kenya’s forest cover from the current 10 percent to 30 percent by 2032. “We have a long way to go aiming at achieving our target of 30 percent by 2032, and we have to team up with stakeholders. If we continue planting trees, we will reach our goal,” said Ng’ang’a.

Laikipia Deputy County Commissioner Joshua Marete, who also participated in the tree planting, marked the event as the official launch of the county’s tree planting campaigns. He encouraged residents to actively participate, urging each individual to plant at least ten tree seedlings during the current rainy season.