Preparations near complete for 9th edition of Kaptagat Forest conservation campaign

Treasury CS Dr Chris Kiptoo prepares to plant a tree as part of the Kaptagat Forest Conservation Project in Elgeyo Marakwet County.

Preparations are almost complete for the 9th Kaptagat Forest Conservation Programme, which will take place on Saturday, July 12, 2025.

President William Ruto is expected to attend this year’s event, hosted at Simotwo Boys, Keiyo South, on Saturday, 12 July 2025.

Treasury PS Dr Chris Kiptoo, the patron of the project, has been passionate about the conservation programme, which has long-term benefits for the region and the entire country.

“There is nothing critical now than conserving our environment for current and future generations, considering the effects of climate change we are witnessing now,” says Kiptoo.

Born and raised in the area, Kiptoo took up the conservation of Kaptagat as his pet project over 14 years ago, and today, he has transformed the Kaptagat Forest conservation initiative into an internationally acclaimed endeavour.

The Kaptagat Forest landscape—spanning the Kaptagat, Penon, Sabor, Kessup, and Kipkabus forest blocks, alongside adjoining community lands—is a critical water tower for the country.

Since 2017, under Dr Kiptoo’s patronage, the Kaptagat Integrated Conservation Programme has united national and county governments, conservation partners, the private sector, and communities to restore the vital ecosystem while improving livelihoods.

Two weeks ago, Dr Kiptoo met with key leaders and government officials to plan for the 9th edition, and various stakeholders and institutions have prepared to take part in this year's programme.

Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei convened the preparatory meeting, where he was joined by CS Beatrice Askul, who is CS for EAC, ASALs & Regional Development, CS Dr. Deborah Barasa (Environment, Climate Change & Forestry), PSs Amb Julius Bitok (Education), Gitonga Mugambi (Forestry), Ummi Bashir (Culture) and Nixon Korir (Lands).

Dr Kiptoo lauded the Elgeyo Marakwet leadership, including Governor Wisley Rotich, Senator William Kisang, and other local political leaders, such as Caroline Ngelechei, Gideon Kimaiyo (host MP), Timothy Toroitich, and other key stakeholders, for their commitment to the initiative.

“We welcome everyone to join us on 12 July 2025 as we continue to conserve, restore, and secure a sustainable future for our people and generations to come,” said Kiptoo.

Dr Kiptoo has a rich background in community work and grew up in his village of Kapkoi in Elgeyo Marakwet County, where he developed a love for a good environment in the area.

As he grew up, he witnessed activities that degraded the environment around the forest. Over time, he thought about how he could contribute to the conservation of the Kaptagat water tower.

The forest is a rich ecosystem in biodiversity hotspots and enhanced carbon sequestration, which provides ecosystem goods and services due to its expansive natural vegetation.

Over the years, the ecosystem comprising five forest blocks (Kessup, Sabor, Penon, Kaptagat, and Kipkabus) had diminished at an alarming rate, as unbridled human activities, including illegal logging, overgrazing, and the complicity of Kenya forest officials in the implementation of sustainable forest management mechanisms, conspired to deplete it.

And following the hue and cry over the unabated destruction, conservation enthusiasts began agitation for the conservation of the ecosystem despite resistance from those who were benefiting from the destruction.

Between the early 2000s and 2020, at least 35 per cent of the forest had been destroyed, according to the Kenya Forest Service (KFS).

By the year 2010, satellite images showed that the Kaptagat ecosystem was severely depleted, with only small pockets of disconnected indigenous people remaining despite forming a critical watershed providing water to major towns and communities in North Rift, Western and Nyanza regions.

It was only after numerous futile attempts to rehabilitate the forest, which had significantly receded in size, that in 2016, a sustainable master plan, the Kaptagat Integrated Conservation Programme, was mooted to fast-track the rehabilitation of the ecosystem.

The program is an initiative under the Patronage of Dr. Kiptoo.

He is proud that, almost a decade on, efforts to restore the ecosystem are bearing fruit for the benefit of the local community and the country.

Dr Kiptoo has been mobilising the local community to actively participate in conservation efforts while simultaneously benefiting from the forest resources.

The first step in the conservation plan was re growing bamboo trees on wetlands, owing to the tree's versatility in environmental conservation.

In total, approximately 60 per cent of Kaptagat's wetland is being progressively covered with bamboo and indigenous trees aged between one and five years old.

Trees, grasslands, and wetlands that had been lost are now being reclaimed, and streams and rivers in Kaptagat Forest have begun to flow again due to the sustainable rehabilitation program.

Over the past eight years, various stakeholders have collectively restored over 2,225.2 ha, equivalent to more than 1.8 million tree seedlings within the Kaptagat landscape, through the planting of assorted indigenous tree seedlings and the distribution of 263,000 high-value avocado seedlings to farmers in both Elgeyo Marakwet and Uasin Gishu Counties.

To discourage locals from gathering firewood, the programme also involves the installation of biogas systems in homesteads for use in cooking, thus reducing the pressure on wood fuel.

The program is aligned with the Presidential call to combat the effects of climate change by planting 15 billion trees on 11 million hectares across Kenya, aiming to achieve a tree cover of approximately 30 per cent by 2032.

“We are happy that the President has also been passionate about conservation issues not only for Kaptagat Forest but the entire country,” said Kiptoo.

The programme is anchored in a 5-year plan running between 2024 and 2029, aimed at improving community livelihoods and securing the Kaptagat Ecosystem and community user rights through a range of interventions, including livestock upgrading, water provision, high-value crop cultivation, and green energy provision.