Efforts to rehabilitate Maragoli Hills achieve mixed results

Maragoli Hills forest in Vihiga County has suffered years of massive destruction that has left it a pale shadow of its former self.

Damage to the all-important water tower in the Western region started in the early 1990s, with locals pointing an accusing finger at the provincial administration at the time for perpetrating environmental crimes.

Today, shrubs, scattered trees, nurseries, planted seedlings and rocky hills are the key features that welcome a visitor to the 1,000-acre forest.

About 20 streams emanating from the foot of the forest have dried up, leaving behind caves that have a special meaning for locals.

They believe the caves, commonly referred to as Mungoma Caves, are the origin of the Maragoli community that is dominant in Vihiga County.

But there is hope, with the ongoing aggressive reforestation efforts supported by the national and county governments.

The challenge, however, is that the forest’s restoration journey has been characterised by resistance and lack of cooperation from some people in the local community who fear they may be evicted.

Consequently, the restoration efforts are taking ages to show the expected results.

At least seven villages neighbouring the forest stand in the way of restoration efforts. They are Muguga, Idabwongo, Buhane, Inavi, Lodonyi, Liavora and Kisingilo.

The villages are home to at least 100 families sitting on about 40 acres said to be part of the forest cover.

James Babira, a representative of the communities, says locals want the county government to spearhead proper demarcation of the forest to show areas under residential homes and the forest.

On one hand, he says, residents with homes outside the hills want only fruit-bearing trees to be replanted in the forest. The trees should include mangoes, pawpaws and avocados.

On the other hand, residents with homes in the hills are cautious about the types of trees to be planted. They say the seedlings should not be of indigenous species.

The government and other partners are, however, keen on reclaiming the water tower by planting indigenous trees.

But Mr Babira notes that locals are not against the noble cause but are raising “pertinent issues” that must be addressed to achieve the desired results.
Another hurdle is title deeds and compensation.

Most of the 100 families fear they could be evicted and want to be given title deeds in addition to getting involved in reviving the forest.

Breathe new life

This is their ancestral home, says Mr Babira, adding that the families have lived there for more than 50 years.

“The county government is yet to fully involve locals and reach them and that is why they are uprooting the seedlings. Planting indigenous seedlings without proper structures that align with locals will not make restoration efforts fruitful.”

Residents have reached out to the government leadership and are still pushing on.

“They know this as their home and they have a culture associated with it. They have buried their people here and so they will not wish to leave. Any plan to relocate them will not materialize.”

But it appears all is not lost in the restoration efforts.

The Vihiga County government says indigenous seedlings planted in recent months have sprouted, giving hope to efforts to breathe new life into the water tower.

This has intensified the ongoing campaign to rehabilitate the forest, with Environment Chief Officer Richard Boiyo saying 85 percent of the 40,000 indigenous seedlings planted in May survived.

This is after Governor Wilber Ottichilo’s administration resolved to involve locals.

Besides the county government, other partners involved in the campaign to reclaim the highly degraded Maragoli Forest are the Community Forest Association (CFA), Equity Bank (Luanda branch), Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

CFA chairman Caleb Adembesa notes that locals living in the forest are legal landowners, stating that they cannot “just leave this place”.

But he reiterates what Mr Babira said, that they have neither title deeds nor any other legal documents to prove they own the land.

The high survival rate of the seedling, Dr Boiyo says, has paved the way for the second phase of the campaign that will see another 30,000 indigenous seedlings planted to extend the land size to 50 acres.

This is the first time efforts to reclaim the forest have returned positive results of seedlings surviving. In the past, agitated locals uprooted the seedlings to express their anger.

In March this year, the county government decided to seek the views of locals as a new approach in its attempt to rehabilitate the forest.

The move was intended to lure the hostile local community into supporting the reforestation plan.

Dr Boiyo, however, says the county government is keen to attain over 10 per cent forest cover through conservation of gazetted and community forests in the county.

He also says the devolved unit wants to promote on-farm forests as part of the strategy to attain the required forest cover.

The county official observes that it is through collective action that the forest can be restored so as to enhance the ecosystem.

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