Kenya has stepped up efforts to revive the Mau Forest complex to protect the country’s largest water tower as well as improve community livelihoods and secure a greener future for future generations.

Speaking at Egerton University when he flagged off Mau-Egerton Cross Country Environment and Climate Change, Principal Secretary Festus Ng’eno, underlined the strategic importance of the Mau ecosystem, noting that it is the source of about 12 rivers that feed Lake Turkana, Lake Victoria and Lake Nakuru, among other water bodies.

Dr Ng’eno who is also the patron of Mau Forest Complex-Integrated Conservation and Livelihoods Improvement Programme (MFC-ICLIP) said conservation of the water tower is not just about planting trees, but also integrating conservation with livelihoods. He said communities must be part of the solution.

The Mau Forest Complex spans Nakuru, Kericho, Bomet and Narok counties, with blocks in Molo, Njoro, Kuresoi North and Kuresoi South in Nakuru County. Of its 22 blocks, most are under the Kenya Forest Service, while the Maasai Mau block is managed jointly with local communities.

Mau Forest Complex is East Africa’s largest indigenous forest and a key water catchment area and is said to have suffered decades of deforestation through illegal logging, settlement and encroachment.

Successive governments have carried out evictions, forest reclamation and rehabilitation drives as part of rehabilitation of the water tower and its rivers.

Ng’eno pointed out that the integrated approach to conserve the water tower marks a shift towards combining conservation with livelihood improvement to ensure that communities become co-owners in the protection of this vital ecosystem.

The principal secretary expressed satisfaction with the progress being made to restore the Mau Forest Complex through a community-driven strategies, saying the initiative was demonstrating that environmental conservation and livelihood improvement could successfully go hand in hand.

He observed that MFC-ICLIP programme stands out as a model of inclusive environmental stewardship to restore degraded forest areas, strengthening community livelihoods and securing a greener future for generations to come.

The event, which is the tenth edition of the Mau-Egerton Cross Country, was supported by a number of corporates and state agencies that included Kenya Forest Service (KFS), Kenya Water Towers Agency (KWTA), Njoro River Rehabilitation Project (NRRP), county governments of Nakuru and Narok and the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB).

The event is an initiative of Egerton University to create environmental awareness and conservation of River Njoro ecosystem and the Mau Forest.

Ng’eno assured Kenyans that the MFC-ICLIP developed by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry to restore the Mau Forest Complex was designed to transform the country’s largest water tower into a climate resilient ecosystem that delivers sustainable water, food and energy security while supporting thousands of green jobs.

He pointed out that the government through MCF-ICLIP is set to plant more than 40 million trees, rehabilitate rivers and wetlands and reduce forest destruction through alternative energy solutions.

The interventions, Ng’eno stated, will result in restoration of 33,138 hectares of forest by 2035.

The principal secretary said the government was mobilising resources to conserve the water tower through a multi-faceted approach that includes government funding, private-public partnerships, community involvement, and enforcement measures.

Egerton University Vice Chancellor Isaac Kibwage explained the institution’s contributions to wetland restoration including rehabilitation and protection of Njoro River, hosting 10 consecutive Editions of Run for the Mau Forest Conservation cross country and creation of a botanical garden at the university.

The vice chancellor said that Egerton University’s Green Club activities and annual tree donations to the community were also a step in the right direction in conserving the environment. He pointed out that, despite wetlands being crucial ecosystems that provide a wide range of environmental, social and economic benefits, they were often unnoticed and undervalued.

Prof Kibwage stated that the university was committed and working with stakeholders to improve human habitats and conserve the environment. He Kibwage described the water tower as an ecological lifeline as it sustains households and farming, generates about 600mw of hydropower, supports the tourism economy, and anchors regional and global ecosystems.

The don advocated for a stronger involvement of local communities in the Mau Forest conservation efforts. He said this involves improving partnerships to ensure locals, who act as frontline defenders of forests, also benefit from initiatives like ecotourism and sustainable income generation through programmes such as seedling nurseries and bee-keeping.

The goal, the vice chancellor observed, is to empower and support local communities so they could become key allies in preserving natural resources for the future adding that restoring the Mau is expected to guarantee energy stability, secure food systems and safeguard GDP growth.

MFC-ICLIP is a 10-year initiative aimed at restoring 33,000 hectares of degraded land in Kenya’s largest water tower.

Launched in October 2025, the programme focuses on community-driven conservation, tree planting, and sustainable livelihoods, such as pyrethrum and tea farming. Nationally the restoration of Mau is expected to secure steady flows of water into rivers including Mara, Sondu and Njoro that feed Lake Victoria, Lake Nakuru and Rift Valley’s agricultural heartlands.

Tourism sector stands to benefit significantly. The Mau sustains Lake Nakuru National Park, which attracts nearly 300,000 visitors annually and the Maasai Mara ecosystem that generates over Ksh2.5 billion annually and supports thousands of local jobs.

Environment and Climate Change Principal Secretary Festus Ng’eno (second right) and Egerton University Vice Chancellor Isaac Kibwage (left) during the launch of the Mau Cross Country.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Wangari Mwangi