Kenya: Green Belt Movement Hands Over 6 Hectares of Restored Mau Forest to Kfs

What the report says

The Green Belt Movement has transferred six hectares of rehabilitated forest in Dundori Forest to the Kenya Forest Service, according to a Capital FM report distributed by AllAfrica. The handover took place at Dundori Comprehensive School in Bahati, Nakuru County, and was presented as part of Kenya’s wider effort to expand tree cover and reach its 15 billion tree target by 2032.

Joshua Nzola, the organization’s acting executive director, said the project reflects the importance of communities living near forests in restoration work. He said local residents contribute labor, traditional knowledge and long-term stewardship, and he argued that restoration depends on more than planting alone. GBM says it works with Community Forest Associations to nurture indigenous trees until they are established before handing them over to KFS.

The handover is part of Phase II of the Mau Restoration Project, which receives support from the French Development Agency. The article says GBM has restored more than 400 hectares across Dundori, North Nandi and Tinderet within the Mau Forest Complex, one of Kenya’s major water towers and a source of several rivers. GBM also said the effort has supported more than 1,000 households through livelihood opportunities while helping with water catchment protection, soil conservation, biodiversity and climate resilience.

French Ambassador to Kenya Wadid Benaabou said France would continue supporting forest conservation and community-led restoration. The report places the handover within Kenya’s broader push to restore degraded forests, protect water resources and strengthen the role of local communities in managing recovered landscapes.