website: kaburo kobia
Kakamega Forest Ecosystem
Kakamega Forest plays a critical role as a water catchment area for the Isiukhu and Yala rivers, supporting local agriculture, food security, and water supply. It regulates rainfall, maintains soil stability, and serves as a buffer against climate change impacts. However, deforestation and land degradation have disrupted these functions, leading to declining rainfall, soil erosion, and reduced water availability.
The forest is also a biodiversity hotspot, home to rare and endemic bird species, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, and indigenous flora. Recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA), Kakamega shelters over 194 forest-dependent bird species alongside primates like the De Brazza’s monkey, rare snakes, and unique plant species. The loss of tree cover threatens this delicate balance, making restoration efforts even more urgent.
Tembelea’s approach draws from faith teachings on stewardship and care for creation, motivating church congregations to take an active role in conservation. Their work includes:
Agroforestry and land restoration: Teaching the church, congregation and farmers how to integrate trees into their church land and farmland.
Food security: Helping community to set up kitchen gardens
Exploring Restoration Opportunities
While government-led conservation programs exist, lasting restoration requires community engagement which can be done through faith-based mobilisation alongside scientific and indigenous knowledge. Our visit focused on:
Assessing forest degradation: Understanding biodiversity loss, deforestation patterns, and the extent of land degradation.
Engaging local communities: Learning how deforestation impacts their daily lives and identifying locally viable restoration solutions.
Evaluating restoration challenges: Addressing barriers such as the preference for exotic tree species, limited appreciation about the value of forest restoration and preservation, limited appreciation for the value of indigenous trees, and economic pressures driving deforestation.
February 2025
A blog by Carolyne Bii
In the first week of February, OikoDiplomatique set out on an exploratory visit to Kakamega Forest, Kenya’s last remaining tropical rainforest, to assess opportunities for its restoration. Situated in Kakamega, Vihiga and Nandi counties, the forest spans 238 square kilometres, though only approximately 100 square kilometres remain as closed-canopy indigenous forest. Originally part of the vast Guineo-Congolian rainforest, Kakamega is a fragment of an ecosystem that once stretched across Central and East Africa over 12,000 years ago. Today, deforestation, land encroachment, and agricultural expansion have significantly reduced its size, threatening both its biodiversity and the communities that rely on it.
Delegation at the Salvation Army church
Communities and farmland near the Kakamega forest
Delegation posing in front of mama Mutere, a fallen 300 year old tree
that once served as a shrine where locals prayed for rain and good harvest.
Looking Ahead
The future of Kakamega forest relies not only on trees but on the collective efforts of its surrounding community, faith actors, the secular sector, government action and long-term commitment. Successful restoration requires a careful balance between ecological sustainability, community involvement, faith-driven stewardship, and supportive policies.
Insights from this visit underscore the importance of local ownership and responsibility of conservations efforts. It is also important to integrate scientific expertise with indigenous knowledge, local governance, and cultural values. As conversations around restoration continue, it will be essential to ensure that approaches are inclusive, rooted in both scientific research and the contributions of communities, faith leaders, and the government. Such a holistic approach will be crucial in preserving Kakamega as a thriving ecosystem for generations to come.
Key Learnings from the Visit
Restoration requires community ownership: Local communities are more committed to conservation when they see direct benefits, such as improved soil, water security, new economic opportunities and cultural benefits.
Faith-based engagement works: Conservation framed as a spiritual and moral duty resonates deeply within faith communities, which can catalyse increased participation and long-term commitment.
Indigenous vs. exotic trees: Exotic trees provide short-term economic returns but harm soil and biodiversity. Educating communities on the long-term benefits of indigenous species is key to shifting preferences.
Gender and inclusion matter: Cultural norms can limit participation in conservation, particularly for women. Engaging both men and women through faith-based structures can foster broader community involvement.
Sustainability requires long-term thinking: One-off tree planting events raise awareness but do not guarantee survival. Sustained monitoring, education, and policy engagement are crucial for meaningful restoration.
Delegation together with Kenya Forest Service officers visiting a part of the forest area that needs restoration due to guava invasion.
One of the majestic trees at the Kakamega Forest
Kakamega Forest: a Sanctuary for People and Nature
Faith, Conservation, and Community Stewardship
Faith-based conservation efforts have played a major role in landscape restoration across Africa, and Tembelea Kanisa Intiative, a faith-based youth organisation in Kakamega that integrates environmental stewardship with community mobilisation, is applying this model by working through local churches to promote environmental education, tree planting, and sustainable land management. They also teach church members how to grow kitchen gardens for the benefit of households.
Recognising the need for a people-centred approach to conservation, OikoDiplomatique set out to visit Kakamega Forest to learn more about the forest and its surrounding communities and about the ideas and plans that Tembelea Kanisa Initiative has for restoring parts of the forest. Representatives of Temebelea Kanisa Initiative guided our team on an immersive tour of parts of the forest and its surrounding areas.