Over 200 hectares of forest land has gone up in flames in just one week following an increase in wildfire outbreaks from 180 to 231, signalling a bleak future in the country’s forests.

On Thursday last week, the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) reported that an estimated 180 wildfires had consumed 1, 357 hectares of forest land, and yesterday, this number had gone up by 201 bringing the total number of fire outbreaks to 231, affecting 1, 558 ha of forests.

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and Forestry expressed concern that a little delay on the onset of the long rain season is likely to see more forest land burning down.

Subsequently, Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale unveiled modern fire-fighting equipment and tools, calling for more partner support to strengthen the institutional capacity of KFS in forest fire management.

“Currently, a total of 231 fire incidences have been reported and recorded and cumulatively a total of 1,540.17 ha of various vegetation types have been burnt in gazetted forests within Mau, North Rift, Coast, Central Highlands, and Eastern Conservancies,” the CS said at the KFS headquarters on Kiambu Road when he unveiled the equipment.

A total of eight firefighting pick-ups, with four already in the field; six troop carriers, and six drones among others, were unveiled, while more are at the port waiting for clearance. Others have already been deployed to various forests in Nyeri, Meru and Nakuru in the ongoing fire-fighting exercise.

Fire management

Duale said that under the Capacity Development Project for Modern Technologies on Forest Fire Management funded by the Government of France, a strategy priority proposes technological interventions that focus more on forest fire management and response to complement traditional suppression initiatives.

“We are happy with the equipment, the training and execution of this project which recently enabled Kenya Forest Service to suppress wildfires in community grazing areas within Isiolo, Garissa, and Mandera counties, whereby approximately 3,200 hectares of grass and shrubs were burnt,” he said.

However, whereas success has been recorded under the project in the initial stage, Duale, noted that there is a small gap in the scope of coverage during Phase One of the project whereby only Mau, Aberdare and Mt Kenya are being covered.

He appealed to the French partners to consider a small variation in the existing contract to include Mt Elgon and Baringo County which have been prone to frequent forest fires; saying this will ensure optimum project effectiveness.

Kenya is currently experiencing a dry spell, and the vegetation in most parts of the country is drying up rapidly, hence increasing the risk of forest fires.

This period coincides with land preparation for planting by farming communities and livestock migration into the forest environment by pastoral communities.