Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Kenya’s Ambassador to UNEP Ida Odinga have warned that environmental destruction in the Cherangany Hills is worsening insecurity and fueling recurring conflict over shrinking resources in the Kerio Valley region.
Speaking during the Cherangany Peace and Conservation Run at Tebe Grounds in Elgeyo Marakwet County, the two leaders jointly called for urgent restoration of degraded landscapes and protection of water towers, saying peace and conservation must go hand in hand.
They described the Cherangany Hills Ecosystem Restoration Programme (CHERISH) as a major national intervention aimed at restoring forests, rehabilitating wetlands, securing water springs and creating green jobs for youth.
Murkomen, who is also the Patron of the CHERISH programme, said the initiative was deeply personal, recalling his childhood experience growing up in the area.
“These hills made me who I am. As a boy, I drank from springs that never ran dry. But I have also watched this paradise slowly get degraded,” Murkomen said.
He warned that ecological destruction and insecurity are closely linked, especially in the conflict-prone Kerio Valley.
“Ecological destruction and insecurity are two sides of the same coin. You cannot have lasting peace on degraded land, and you cannot restore land in the middle of conflict,” he said.
Murkomen pointed to the October 2025 Chesongoch landslide tragedy, which claimed more than 50 lives, as a painful example of the consequences of environmental neglect.
“Chesongoch should not have surprised anyone. It was a warning we had been given before and delayed acting on for too long,” he said.
The CS said the 10-year, Sh15 billion CHERISH programme aligns with the government’s national tree-growing agenda and seeks to restore more than 60,000 hectares of degraded land while creating over 500,000 green jobs.
“When we plant trees, we are planting peace. When we restore springs, we are reducing the reason neighbours fight,” Murkomen said.
On her part, Ida Odinga praised the initiative and urged communities to actively participate in conservation efforts, saying the future of the ecosystem depends on collective action.
“To every runner preparing for the race this morning, you are the message. Every step you take today is an announcement that these hills matter and that we refuse to let this ecosystem die in silence,” she said.
Ida noted that the Cherangany Hills remain one of Kenya’s critical water towers, sustaining millions of people across the Rift Valley and beyond.
“The Cherangany Hills are beautiful and essential. Their rivers sustain millions of Kenyans. What happens here matters to the whole country,” she said.
She also linked environmental degradation to insecurity, saying dwindling water and grazing resources continue to fuel tensions among communities.
“When rivers dry and grazing land shrinks, communities begin to fight. Conservation and peace are not separate agendas; they are one,” Ida said.
The leaders praised athletes from Pokot and Marakwet communities who participated in the run, saying their participation symbolized unity and reconciliation in a region long affected by conflict.
“The image of Pokot and Marakwet runners crossing the finish line together is the future we are building,” Murkomen said.
The CHERISH programme is expected to officially launch Friday by Deputy President Kithuire Kindiki as part of efforts to restore the Cherangany ecosystem, strengthen climate resilience and promote sustainable livelihoods through activities such as agroforestry, beekeeping and eco-tourism.
