Ps state Dep Special Programs Ismael Maalim, Ps Environment Climate change and Forestry Festus K Ng'eno, Ps Correctional Services Salome Wairimu Muhia Beacco during the launch
East Africa’s largest indigenous montane forest and one of Kenya’s most vital water towers has long faced threats from deforestation, encroachment, and biodiversity loss.
This environmental degradation undermines water security, disrupts ecosystems, and affects the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on its resources.
To address these challenges, the Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, has launched the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme (MFC-ICLIP), a transformative 10-year initiative.
The programme aims not only to restore and sustainably manage the Mau Forest Complex but also to strengthen ecosystem functionality, build climate resilience, and improve community livelihoods.
The initiative is designed as a collaborative model, bringing together government agencies, development partners, the private sector, civil society, and local communities.
It signals a shift toward a solutions-driven approach where conservation and human development move in step.
Government’s Commitment
Speaking during a media and development partners’ roundtable in Nairobi on 17th September 2025, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Dr. Deborah Mlongo Barasa, reaffirmed the government’s commitment.
“This initiative aligns with the President’s vision of ecosystem restoration and the 15 Billion Tree Growing Campaign, which is about healing degraded lands, protecting water towers, and improving livelihoods. Restoring Mau is both an environmental and economic priority safeguarding water sources, energy security, agriculture, and tourism. This is a shared legacy that will define how we secure our natural heritage for generations to come.”
A Personal Legacy for the Principal Secretary
The programme’s patron, Dr. Eng. Festus K. Ng’eno, Principal Secretary for the State Department for Environment and Climate Change, emphasized both urgency and personal significance.
“I am a son of the Mau Forest Complex, having grown up there. I have witnessed its changes firsthand and long desired to contribute to its restoration. This programme is a personal legacy initiative and a model for integrated forest restoration and livelihood improvement in Kenya.”
Dr. Ng’eno announced that the first edition of the programme will launch on 24th October 2025, targeting the restoration of 3,313 hectares of degraded forest through the planting of 4 million seedlings.
Already, more than 150,000 seedlings have been planted in Eastern Mau in recent weeks.
He added that a Mau Water Fund and stakeholder coordination forums will be established to sustain restoration and ensure accountability.
Why the Mau Matters
The Mau Forest Complex plays a critical role at multiple levels:
Community level: Secures water for households, farming, and livestock; supports green jobs; and preserves cultural heritage.
National level: Underpins food security, contributes about 600 MW of hydropower, sustains tourism sites such as Lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara (which generates about KES 2.5 billion annually), and supports major water supply projects.
Regional level: Anchors the Lake Victoria Basin, feeds the Nile River, and sustains ecosystems such as the Mara Serengeti.
Global level: Hosts biodiversity of global significance, including the Great Wildebeest Migration, serves as a carbon sink, and contributes to international climate and biodiversity goals.
Partners’ Voices
Elizabeth Wathuti, environmentalist and founder of the Green Generation Initiative, said the programme’s holistic design resonated strongly with her organization’s mission.
“Our organisation works with children, young people, and local communities to conserve, restore, and protect the environment. This programme is key for us. The partnership will enable us to work together to ensure that schools are part and parcel of the restoration efforts. Also, beyond restoration, it looks at improving lives by putting communities and those living within the catchment areas at the very center of implementation,” she said.
Nancy Ogonje, Executive Director of the East African Wildlife Society, emphasized the need for inclusive collaboration and strong governance frameworks.
“The project is bold and timely. We will bring our technical expertise in policy development, management plans, and sustainable restoration. Our aim is to ensure restoration goes beyond planting trees to actually growing them. For us, this also means strengthening governance systems, empowering communities with the knowledge and tools to protect their forests, and ensuring that conservation directly improves people’s lives,” she said.
