Pesa Mfukoni, kawi safi, na maji nyumbani’ initiative launched in Kaptagat

His Excellency President Dr William Ruto (second right) pets a high-yielding dairy cow, part of a herd of 20 cows, that WWF-Kenya donated to members of Community Forest Associations in Kaptagat to diversify the livelihoods of the local community as residents reduce reliance on the forest.

In Kenya’s Kaptagat Forest ecosystem, Elgeyo Marakwet County, a story of transformation is being written.

Thanks to the Greening Kaptagat Project, a multi-stakeholder integrated initiative implemented in collaboration with the Kaptagat Integrated Conservation Programme — a Community-Based Organisation whose patron is Dr Chris Kiptoo, PS The National Treasury — and partners like The Eliud Kipchoge Foundation and government agencies like the Kenya Forest Service, the intertwined challenges of livelihoods and environmental degradation are being tackled.

His Excellency President Dr William Ruto meets our CEO, Mohamed Awer, during the handover of the herd of 20 high-yielding cows to members of Community Forest Associations in Kaptagat on Saturday, 13 July 2024. This occurred during the 8th Edition Annual Kaptagat Tree Planting Drive.

Our CEO, Mohamed Awer, explained this initiative during the handover of 20 improved high-yielding in-calf heifers, sourced from the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), to Community Forest Association members at a ceremony graced by His Excellency President Dr William Ruto.

The high-yielding dairy cows that were given to the Kaptagat Community to diversify their incomes through the ‘Pesa Mfukoni, kawi safi, na maji nyumbani’ initiative. They were handed over on Saturday, 13 July 2024.

“Why are people turning to a forest they have long protected? To holistically address environmental challenges, we must deal with the root cause — economic and social challenges. This question guided the design of a people-centred integrated programme that places livelihood improvement first in forest restoration and conservation efforts.”

The Five-Year Multi-stakeholder Programme, launched through the innovative ‘One Acre, One Cow Initiative’, will benefit 28,000 forest-adjacent households. They will be supported to acquire at least one high-yielding dairy cow and put one acre of land under cash crops and livestock pasture.

Paul Mungai — a logistics officer, WWF-Kenya, showcases one of the dairy cows in Kaptagat on Saturday, 13 July 2024.

The transformative power lies in its sustainable circular-loop system. A key component is the transition to biogas, a clean cooking technology powered by cow dung from the high-yielding cow.

The nutrient-rich slurry from the digesters is then used as organic fertiliser, enriching the soil and boosting the growth of crops and livestock fodder. This not only improves food security and income generation for families from the sale of dairy products, cash crops, surplus farm produce, and animal feed but also reduces pressure on the forest for firewood and grazing.

Valentine Kemei is a beneficiary of the biogas units that were installed in 20 households in 2022 through the Greening Kaptagat project funded by the United Kingdom via WWF-UK. More households are set to get biogas units through the new initiative launched on 13 July 2024.

With less stress on the forest water catchment, there will be better water quality, quantity, management, and distribution for irrigation, domestic, and industrial use.

The initiative’s impact is encapsulated in the slogan ‘Pesa Mfukoni, kawi safi, na maji nyumbani’- money in the pocket, clean energy at home, and clean, potable water at your doorstep.