SPEECH BY PROF. JUDI WAKHUNGU, OGW, CABINET SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES DURING THE LAUNCH OF THE RIFT VALLEY ECO-REGION FORESTRY RESEARCH PROGRAMME (RVEFRP) AND THE NEW KEFRI BARINGO SUB-CENTRE RESEARCH FACILITY AT MARIGAT, BARINGO COUNTY ON 29TH NOVEMBER 2013. Governors, Members of Parliament, County Representatives, Invited guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, I take this opportunity to congratulate the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) on the launch of the Rift Valley Eco-Regional Research Programme(RVEFRP) and opening of the newly built Marigat research facility. I am happy to note that the institute is also launching three more products; a forest restoration hand book for moist forests along with the guideline on the same and a fast growing Rose Gum as an enterprise tree crop. These events are a major milestone not only for the institute, but also for my Ministry in the endeavor to develop our forestry resources. This is because my ministry is responsible for forestry development, conservation and provision of the pre-requisite information required for promotion of forestry resources and allied natural resources that include water and wildlife in the country. The rebranded Research Programme is part of decentralization of forestry research services to the regions. I am also informed that rebranding of other research programmes has been done in the Coast and Lake Victoria Basin Eco-regions which is a step further in achieving devolved services to the publicas stated in Kenya’s Vision 2030. Ladies and Gentlemen, For KEFRI, the launch of RVERP fulfills the main aim of establishing a strong and focused institution, which is able to undertake forestry research and development for improved livelihoods and sustainable environment. The rebranded Research Programme will be able to address the peculiar ecological requirements in the expansive Rift Valley eco-region that has diverse natural resources, economic ventures, cultural and political compositions compared to other Eco-regions of our country. The particular importance in this forestry research programme is the unique topographical landscape, giving rise to historically varied forest resources, diverse culture of the people of the Rift Valley relying on forest resources; thus requiring technological advancements in the way they should manage these forest types and the accompanying allied resources to support their socio-economic development and their cultural interests. To compliment these initiatives, My Ministrys’ underlying importance in the quest of increasing forest cover in the Rift Valley Region and other regions has three advantages; • Firstly, watersheds in the region, are lifeline to the people of the entire western and nyanza parts of Kenya and contribute immensely to the water sources, economic livelihoods by providing wood and non-wood forest products for domestic and commercial use. • Secondly, the forests in the region support tens of wood based industries including saw milling, pole treatment plants, tea factories, food processing industries and institutional and domestic wood fuel needs. Therefore the forestry sector is key centre for employment for thousands of Kenyans in the region and across the country. • Thirdly, forests provide habitats for wildlife, which are a major tourist attraction in the region. All these allied resources associated with forests require close monitoring and sound management technologies that KEFRI through the branded programme will provide. Ladies and Gentlemen, The three pillar resources in my Ministry namely; Forestry, water and wildlife occur interchangeably and thus in complementarity. That is why the government combined them into one ministry. We all know that wildlife is the prime motivation for tourists visiting Kenya. In addition, there has been an increasing interest in eco-tourism in recent years. Tourism through wildlife generates 30 percent of the country’s foreign exchange and 10 per cent of total employment. Further, Forests in the Rift Valley are a reservoir of biological diversity stretching from the extensive highlands to the expansive lowlands harboring large mammals, birds, butterflies and plants species. Important to note are the Mau, Cherangany and Mt Elgon forests, which besides being key water towers host hundreds of flora and fauna, some of them endemic to these forests. The Rift Valley Eco- Region is the biggest eco-region and therefore will be part of major focus for the expansion of forest cover to 10% as outlined in our Constitution. These allied resources too require information for their management and development and hope the rebranded RVERP will therefore go a long way in contributing to the development of sound forestry, water and wildlife sectors in the country. Let me conclude by urging the Board of Directors and KEFRI management to take this challenge gracefully, to provide the needed tools to develop our forestry and natural resources as promised in their mandate. With these few remarks, I declare the RVEFRP and KEFRI Baringo Sub-centre Officially opened. Thank you and God bless you.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Dec 2013 05:29:20 +0000
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