Elgeyo Marakwet County Assembly has petitioned the Senate and the National Assembly to amend the Forest Act to allow counties hosting government forests to get a percentage of earnings from forest products just like in the Mining Act.
According to the Majority Leader Stephen Cheruiyot, the Act should consider forests and their products as a natural resource just like minerals.
Cheruiyot said while 70 percent of forests earnings should go to the national government, 30 percent should be given to the counties hosting the forests who through legislation would ensure that 10 percent of what goes to the county benefits communities living next to the forests.
The Majority Leader said the county with 37 percent of its land under forest should be a major beneficiary noting that Kenya Forest Service collects billions of shillings each year as revenue but the county does not benefit yet they protect forests.
“During harvesting, roads leading to forest are destroyed by the heavy machines but there’s no mechanism to ensure that the roads are repaired,” he said.
He therefore called on both the national houses to support the petition so that the county and others hosting national forests benefit from the funds accrued from cess, permits, levies and eco-tourism earned by the KFS.
He said this would ensure that host counties and communities get incentives adding that KFS should consider undertaking Corporate Social Responsibilities like building of classes and health facilities among others for communities living next to forests.
Cheruiyot added that the funds would also be used in the promotion of community forest initiatives, environmental management and sustainable forest-based livelihoods.
By Alice Wanjiru
