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{
    "id": 1480007,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1480007/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 180,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Aden Duale",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 15,
        "legal_name": "Aden Bare Duale",
        "slug": "aden-duale"
    },
    "content": "Allow me to now highlight the fact that forest cultivation in Kenya faces several challenges despite the framework and the laws that this House has put in place. We experience forest degradation due to unsustainable cultivation practices. Poor management and lack of enforcement have led to deforestation in some of our areas. I am here with the Chief Forest Conservator. We have agreed in principle that it will not be business as usual for our rangers and foresters. From the top to our citizens, all of us must protect our ecosystem and biodiversity. Enforcement is a key issue because the KFS is really underfunded. I am sure that the Departmental Committee on Environment, Forestry and Mining will look into this aspect when our fiscal space improves. Population pressure and conflicts over land use have caused more forest encroachment. Finally, communities involved in our engagement with the KFS do not follow sustainable farming practices, which can sometimes lead to soil degradation, loss of biodiversity and ecosystem disruption. The other issue that Hon. Wanyonyi raised that I need to address – he had raised many questions – is on how to improve forest conservation and cultivation. The Ministry has intensified its efforts to enforce the forest conservation laws, mainly through the Forest Conservation and Management Act that this House passed in 2016. The Ministry has recruited more than 2,664 forest rangers to bolster our enforcement and monitoring of activities across all forested areas. We have also increased funding to the KFS. We want to thank the President. Compared to previous governments, it is only during President William Ruto's tenure that over 2,600 forest rangers were recruited. The Ministry has also reviewed the Trees First Guidelines to make them more adaptive to emerging challenges such as land use conflicts, climate change and invasive species management. The Ministry is also working closely with community forest associations to promote sustainable farming practices. Lastly, we want to ensure compliance with the law. The ministry has introduced very strict monitoring mechanisms, including regular inspection of forest stations. These inspections ensure that cultivation activities are aligned with sustainable forest management and conservation guidelines. Thank you."
}