North Rift Residents Reject Consensus Forest Bill
He emphasized that practices such as the Shamba system, beekeeping, firewood collection, and small-scale farming have sustained their families for generations.
Residents from Six counties in the North Rift region addressing the Press on the forest Consesus bill.
By Jessicah Nyaboke
Residents from six counties in the North Rift region have strongly opposed the proposed Consensus Forest Bill, saying it undermines community rights and threatens their traditional livelihoods.
Speaking during a consultative meeting in Eldoret, local leaders and residents criticized the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) for pushing a plan that would see forests leased out to private entities for up to 40 years.
David Mengich, the Chairperson of the Community Forest Association (CFA), voiced the concerns of hundreds of community members who depend on forest resources for survival.
He emphasized that practices such as the Shamba system, beekeeping, firewood collection, and small-scale farming have sustained their families for generations.
“We will not support a law that seeks to alienate us from our forests,” said Mengich. “These lands are not just pieces of property — they are our heritage, our farms, and our source of daily bread. Leasing them out for 40 years would amount to displacing our people and criminalizing their livelihoods.”
Joseph Samoel, a sawmiller from the region, echoed these sentiments and accused the government of misleading the public. He cited the example of Ghana, where similar legislation reportedly led to communities being locked out of their forests, preventing them from grazing livestock or engaging in subsistence farming.
“Let us not be lied to,” Samoel said. “In Ghana, once the consensus agreement was signed, locals were completely shut out. We fear the same fate awaits us here in Kenya. As a sawmiller, I cannot sit back and watch my rights taken away in my own country.”
Paul Kiptinga, a member of the indigenous Sengwer community, expressed fears that the legislation would erode their cultural identity. As a community of hunters and gatherers, he said the forest is essential to their way of life.
“If the forest is taken away, we will cease to exist as a people,” Kiptinga stated. “We are small-scale farmers with limited resources — we cannot afford to pay for access to land that we have lived on for centuries.”
The residents are now calling on Parliament to reconsider the bill and ensure that any forest policy protects the rights of indigenous communities and forest-dependent households.
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