What You Need to Know
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has unveiled a comprehensive restoration program for the Cherangany Ecosystem, aimed at addressing recurrent landslides that have devastated the region. The initiative, part of the Cherish program, seeks to enhance environmental conservation while promoting sustainable livelihoods for local communities affected by these disasters.
Africa-Press – Kenya. Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen has announced a major restoration programme for the Cherangany Ecosystem, following recurrent landslides in the region which have claimed many lives and destroyed livelihoods.
Speaking in Nairobi during a partners’ roundtable for the Cherangany Hills Ecosystem Restoration for Livelihood Improvement, Sustainability and Harmony (Cherish) programme, the CS said the initiative seeks to conserve the environment while providing sustainable livelihoods to the communities.
“The Chesongoch landslide disaster that happened on October 31 last year is still fresh in our minds. We lost lives, livelihoods and critical infrastructure because the hill slopes—left bare and unstable due to human settlement—could no longer absorb the heavy downpour,” Murkomen said.
He said the degradation of the forest has exacerbated resource-based conflicts among local communities. “When resources become scarce, when rivers dry up, when grazing land dwindles, when there is no water for livestock, desperation turns into conflict.”
Cherangany Forest spans 414,928 hectares across Elgeyo Marakwet, Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia and West Pokot counties. “The programme, anchored on President Ruto’s 15-billion-tree agenda, seeks to restore 62,038 hectares of highly degraded escarpments and riparian land, protect 20 springs and critical water towers, and support sustainable livelihoods for local communities,” said Murkomen, who is the Cherish patron.
While thanking Environment, Climate Change and Forestry colleague Deborah Mlongo Barasa for championing the ecosystem and livelihoods restoration approach, Murkomen said the 10-year initiative will adopt an all-of-government, all-of-society framework.
He called on the private sector, development partners and other stakeholders to support the programme.
“Please align your portfolios with Cherish. We have a multi-stakeholder framework ready. Help us support the peace tournaments, help us train our youth on alternative livelihoods among other initiatives,” Murkomen said.
Barasa said the Ministry had adopted a champion-led approach to conservation, saying the greening agenda will be achieved ahead of time if more Kenyans take up the role in their home areas.
“I congratulate CS Murkomen on this initiative and call for more Kenyans to do the same. As a ministry, we will be part and parcel of this and other such initiatives because together we achieve more,” she said.
The Cherish programme will officially be launched on May 22 in Elgeyo-Marakwet county, a day that coincides with the International Day of Biodiversity. The launch will be preceded by the inaugural Cherangany Conservation Run on May 21 in the same county.
Also in the meeting were Governor Wisley Rotich, Senator William Kisang, MPs Timothy Toroitich, Adams Kipsanai and Caroline Ng’elechei, PSs Gitonga Mugambi (Forestry), Festus Ng’engo (Environment) and Joel Arumonyang (Public Works), OKM Foundation chairperson Gladys Kipchumba and speaker Lawi Kiribe.
The organisations at the event include UNDP, Equity Group and Foundation, KCB, IGAD, WRI, OKM Foundation, Soipan Tuya Foundation, Kepsa, Kalro, Kenyatta University, WWF Kenya, KenGen, KFS, KWS, Water Resources Authority and Nyayo Tea Zones Development Corporation, Nature Kenya and Kenya Accreditation Service.
The Cherangany Hills have faced significant environmental challenges, particularly due to deforestation and human settlement, which have led to increased landslide risks. The region’s vulnerability was highlighted by the tragic landslide disaster on October 31 last year, which resulted in loss of life and destruction of infrastructure. This restoration initiative aims to mitigate such risks by restoring degraded lands and promoting sustainable practices among local communities.
The Cherish program is part of a broader governmental effort to address environmental degradation in Kenya, aligning with President Ruto’s ambitious tree-planting agenda. By engaging multiple stakeholders, including
