REPORT OF THE HIGH-LEVEL NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON
KENYA WATER TOWERS, FORESTS AND GREEN ECONOMY
5-7 NOVEMBER 2012
Introduction
The First Kenya Water Towers, Forests and Green Economy National Dialogue was held
from 5-7 November 2012, in Nairobi, Kenya. The dialogue was organized jointly by the
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Kenya’s Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife.
It was held as part of Kenya’s follow-up to the outcome of the UN Conference on
Sustainable Development (Rio+20 Conference) “The Future We Want” and also as part
of the Government of Kenya’s efforts to implement its Vision 2030 (2008-2030), which
has the objective of helping to transform Kenya into a “middle-income country providing
a high quality life to all its citizens by the year 2030.” The three days brought together
more than 200 key decision-makers from Kenya, including from 12 ministries and
government agencies, the private sector, development partners, civil society and media,
as well as international observers.
The purpose of the dialogue was to raise awareness of the socio-economic role of water
towers and forests in the Kenyan economy and identify the enabling conditions for
delivering long-term investments in sustainable forest management. The dialogue also
aimed to consider how to capture finance and investment opportunities relating to Vision
2030 and the green economy.
This report summarizes the presentations made, and discussions undertaken, during the
three days of the dialogue.
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Report of the Meeting
The Kenya Water Towers, Forest and Green Economy National Dialogue included
opening and closing high-level segments, technical sessions, and a press conference on
water towers and the role and contribution of mountain forests to the Kenyan economy.
This report summarizes, in the following order, the high level opening ceremony, plenary
technical sessions, and the closing ceremony.
OPENING OF DIALOGUE
On Monday, 5 November, Nasser Ega-Musa, Director, UN Information Centre, opened
the dialogue by welcoming participants and dignitaries to the event.
David Stower, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water and Irrigation, speaking on behalf
of the Minister, underscored that Kenya’s current constitution has placed enormous
responsibility on the government on matters of the environment, noting that water is
recognized as a socio-economic right of the people. He reported that the Water Bill of
2012 undertakes to mainstream water-related issues with relevant articles of the
constitution, and that water availability is a key enabler to achieving Kenya’s Vision
2030.
Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP, emphasized that Kenya’s five water towers
are the backbone of the country’s economy, providing 75% of its renewable water
resources. He lauded the government’s commitment to saving the Mau Forest ecosystem
where over 21,000 hectares of land have so far been repossessed for rehabilitation. He
reiterated the commitment made by UNEP during its 40th anniversary to support the
government in creating awareness of the value of forests, highlighting recent estimates
that show that the country stands to gain 4.24 times more from sustainable management
of forests compared to cutting them down.
Lodewijk Briet, Ambassador of the European Union to Kenya, said enabling conditions
for sustainable development include improved land tenure and increased sharing of
benefits from the environment with local communities. He noted that the Tana Delta,
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where communities have been fighting to defend water and land for centuries, was a
classic example of the importance of the water towers to communities. Briet called on the
dialogue to address the role of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in enhancing
investments in forests and responsible governance, including payments for ecosystem
services (PES). He reported that the EU has developed 97 community-based projects in
the water towers, which aim to restore vital water services, and improve and protect the
livelihoods of local communities.
Lawrence Mwadime, Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife,
said the dialogue would provide an opportunity for forests to play an active role in
achieving Vision 2030 and in transitioning to a green economy.
Hon. Dr. Noah Wekesa, Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, noted that despite the
importance of forests in economic development and rural livelihoods, Kenya is a low–
forest-cover country. He called for enhanced conservation of existing indigenous forests
and ambitious farm and dryland forestry programmes to ensure increased tree cover to
the 10% recommended in Vision 2030. He reported that his ministry would continue to
provide enabling conditions for private sector investment in forestry. The Minister
lamented that politicians had neglected debates on the environment and said that if he had
the power to influence Kenyan voters, he would “plead with them to vote for candidates
who will address and recognize the importance of the environment and issues related to
mitigation and adaptation to climate change.” The Minister declared the dialogue
officially opened and received from Achim Steiner, the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) UNEP report on “The Role and Contribution of Mountain Forests and Related Ecosystem
Services to the Kenyan Economy.”
TECHNICAL SESSIONS
THE ROLE OF WATER TOWERS AND FOREST ECOSYSTEMS
IN THE KENYAN ECONOMY:
On Monday morning, Gideon Gathaara, Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, chaired this
session. Pushpam Kumar, UNEP, discussing ecosystems for a green economy, said the
growth of domestic consumption and demand of products in Kenya should be addressed
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during the transition to a green economy. He highlighted the need to: recognize the role
of ecosystem services in a green economy and create public awareness; restore degraded
ecosystems by means of incentives, regulations and markets for ecosystem goods and
services; and reflect the true value of ecosystems in the green economy model. Kumar
added that even though PES has the potential to compensate ecosystem custodians for
provision of goods and services, it is not the panacea for all problems. In ensuing
discussions, participants addressed: how to convince local communities to consider the
trade-off between resource exploitation and the long-term benefits from conservation;
how to incorporate The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) into policy;
and the need to elaborate reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in
developing countries, as well as conservation, sustainable management of forests and
enhancement of carbon stocks (REDD+) as an incentive-based programme.
Charles Mutai, Ministry for the Environment and Mineral Resources, discussed Kenya’s
progress towards creating enabling conditions for its transition to a green economy. He
highlighted the Green Economy Scoping Study supported by UNEP to assess
opportunities and challenges for the transition, as well as the activities of an InterMinisterial Committee on green economy, which provides technical support and policy
interface. Mutai highlighted policies and laws that support the transition, including:
Articles 42, 60(c) and 69(a-h) of the constitution of Kenya, which recognize the rights to
a clean and healthy environment, sustainable and productive management of land
resources, and sustainable use and protection of genetic and biological diversity,
respectively; Kenya’s Vision 2030; the Agriculture (Farm Forestry) Rules 2009; Forest
Policy of 2005; the National REDD+ strategy; the Greening Kenya Initiative; and the
Water Act of 2002. During discussions, participants noted the need for a roadmap and a
legal framework for the green economy, as well as the need to harmonize the roles and
mandates of various ministries.
Karanja Njoroge, Centre for Environmental Action, chaired the session in the afternoon.
Samuel Muriithi, KFS, presenting on the role of mountain forests and ecosystems in the
Kenyan economy, noted that the contribution of forests is underreported in national
statistics. He reported on the Forest Resource Account (FRA) of 2000-2010, noting that it
captures the full value of the forestry sector as 3.5% of the country’s Gross Domestic
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Product (GDP). He highlighted that the key findings of the report show that deforestation
within this period led to a reduction of water availability by close to 62 million cubic
meters, which in turn led to declines in fish catch and irrigation and hydro-electric power
potential, a rise in the cost of water treatment, and increased incidences of malaria.
Participants discussed: the need to ensure mainstreaming of PES in forest ecosystems
while ensuring that it does not lead to inflation of water and hydroelectric power bills; the
effects of drought on ecosystems; and the role of REDD+ as an incentive to maintain
forest cover.
Edmund Barrow, IUCN, discussed forest restoration, highlighting the successes of PES
in Beijing and New York in paying for water catchment management. He reported that
Kenya loses 3.87 billion KES a year from lack of investment in water catchment
management and highlighted that the pre-requisites for successful restoration include:
enabling policies; supportive agencies; benefit sharing with communities; and “ring
fencing” of national financial resources. He urged Kenya to take on the 2011 Bonn
Challenge and deliver on the global commitment to restore 150 million hectares of lost
forests and degraded lands by 2020. In ensuing discussions, participants debated: the
need for continued policy reforms to ensure the success of PES and REDD+; the cost of
restoration of ecosystems; and how to ensure recovery of ecosystem services in
biodiversity rich ecosystems.
George Krhoda, Water Resources Authority, discussed the link between water and forest
resources, and the national economy. Giving the example of the Mau Forest, he
emphasized that providing scientific evidence of the link between water and forests has
been difficult because there is often a lag period between deforestation and the disruption
of hydrological regimes. He called for more investment in scientific research in order to
ensure optimization of the functions of trees, forests and forest ecosystems for sustainable
development. Participants also discussed: recent reports reporting abundance of ground
water; challenges of managing transboundary water resources; the role of geothermal
power in reducing strain on surface water; and future scenarios of water management
under county government.
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Alfred Gichu, Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, presenting on Kenya’s REDD+ and
Readiness Activities, reported that greenhouse gas emissions due to deforestation have
risen from 16.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (MtCO2e) in 2000 to
19.6MtCO2e in 2010. He underscored that the national REDD+ programme is aimed at:
reducing anthropogenic pressure on forests; promoting energy efficiency; improving
governance in the forest sector; and enhancing carbon stocks through afforestation and
reforestation. On readiness activities, he discussed the development of a national strategy
and legal framework for the implementation of REDD+. Participants, remarking on the
variety of figures on rates of forest degradation, called for accurate reporting, more
research on tree varieties that are suitable for carbon sequestration, and resolution of land
tenure issues for effective REDD+ implementation.
DELIVERING ENABLING CONDITIONS FOR INVESTMENTS IN
FOREST ECOSYSTEMS
On Tuesday morning, 6 November, participants met to tackle questions regarding the
lack of adequate governance, implementation of policies, and harmonization of
institutional arrangements. The session was chaired by Emilio Mugo, KFS.
Philip Olum, Kenya Water Resource Management Authority (WRMA), presented the
National Water Master Plan (NWMP) 2030 and outlined enabling conditions for its
successful implementation. He reported that national freshwater reserves in 2010 were
estimated at 1172 cubic meters per capita up from 647 cubic meters in the NWMP of
1992. He stressed that although the management of water resources was the responsibility
of state governments, water supply and sanitation are the responsibility of county
governments. He noted that the main constraints to efficient water provision include
illegal water abstraction, encroachment of wetlands, inefficient water use and lack of
responsible public use. Olum further noted that the WRMA has developed strategies to
decentralize water management including through water resource user associations. He
concluded that implementation is a major consideration of the current NWMP. In ensuing
discussions, participants discussed the need for: participatory mapping of the water
catchment with the local community; more funding for water resource user associations;
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more relevant training modules at water training institutes; and clarity on the role of
county governments in water management.
Karanja Njoroge, Centre for Environmental Action, presented the Friends of Karura
Forest as an example of a successful community participatory initiative to restore and
maintain forest ecosystems. He highlighted efficient collection of visitor entrance fees
and benefit sharing with communities neighboring the forest through allowing access for
recreation, water and other non-timber forest goods and services. Njoroge reported on
progress towards a legal agreement with KFS for improved management of the forest.
Participants noted the need to ensure equitable benefit sharing by all communities
dependent on the Karura Forest in order to make them custodians for its protection.
Hassan Noor, Mau Secretariat, presented on progress made in securing and restoring the
Mau Forest Complex since 2009, after several decades of degradation due to massive
excisions and encroachment. He highlighted the efforts by the Prime Minister’s office
and the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources to recover unoccupied and
occupied parcels of the forest including those with legitimate title deeds. Noor showed
various collaborative efforts to resettle indigenous populations of the Ogiek community
through provision of alternative livelihood options such as use of bamboo for baskets,
fencing, fuel and furniture. Participants discussed the need to: keep the Ogiek actively
involved in forest management; replant indigenous trees in the forest; ensure tree planting
programmes in settlement areas outside the forest; renew and sustain political good will;
and harmonize involvement of institutions with mandates in the management of the Mau
Forest.
REMOVING OF BARRIERS TO INVESTMENTS IN KENYA’S
FORESTED ECOSYSTEMS
This session was held on Tuesday morning and afternoon, and was chaired by Emilio
Mugo, KFS.
Godwin Kowero, Africa Forest Forum, discussing various options for financing forestry
in Africa, emphasized that it is the primary responsibility of countries to commit
domestic public finances for forest administration, research, education, extension services
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and forest law enforcement and governance, before seeking innovative financing
mechanisms such as PES and REDD+. He emphasized the role of the private sector,
noting the need for access to micro-financing, loans and regional markets of processed
forest goods. Kowero said country-level funding includes Official Development
Assistance, bilateral grants, and concessional loans and multilateral financing from the
World Bank, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the International Tropical Timber
Organization (ITTO) and the African Development Bank.
On climate finance, including from under the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC), Kowero reported incidences where just a few countries received
over 90% of the available funding and further noted that funding was also biased towards
climate change mitigation, with less funding available for carbon sequestration and forest
financing. Participants questioned the conditions required for grants and loans, noted the
need for adding value to forest goods to increase the benefits from them, and called for
the development of realistic incentives to enable PPP.
Mwangi Githiru, Wildlife Works, presented the successes of the Kisigau Corridor
REDD+ Project in transferring carbon credits to communities. He underscored that the
process requires measuring the amount of carbon in trees and soil, projecting how much
carbon can be protected, third party validation and project registration, and annual
monitoring and reporting. Githiru noted that the lack of a national REDD+ strategy
accounting framework and insecure land tenure are key barriers to up-scaling REDD+ in
the country. In the following discussion, participants commented on: the slow rate of
REDD+ uptake; how to address barriers to REDD+; and finding alternative fuel sources
to reduce pressure on forests.
Iain Henderson, UNEP, discussing opportunities for PPPs in forestry, highlighted that the
“little forest finance book” launched during the eleventh Conference of the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity in Hyderabad, India, contains information on finance
options and risk reduction for forest financing and investments, including in non-timber
forest products, forest carbon and ecosystem services. He underscored that private sector
investors require removal of investment barriers, increased returns and reduced risks.
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Participants stressed the need for a one-stop-shop for information on REDD+
opportunities for investors and estimates on possible returns from such investments.
Mohamed Awer, WWF, presented a case study of Lake Naivasha PES for watershed
management. He explained that the process began with a feasibility assessment of
hydrology, followed by a pilot-scale implementation of PES by farm owners through a
market-based voluntary scheme consisting of ecosystem sellers or stewards on one side
and ecosystem buyers or beneficiaries on the other. Awer reported that payments were
made through cash transfer vouchers redeemable for farm inputs. He showed how after
one year, farmers benefited from soil management, increased ground cover, sustainable
livestock practices, and use of higher yield crop varieties. In ensuing discussions,
participants discussed incentives to mobilize voluntary and sustained involvement in PES
and up-scaling of PES.
Christian Lambrecht, Rhino Ark Charitable Trust, discussed his organization’s
contribution to conservation and management of water towers through PPPs. He reported
on completion of a 400 kilometer electric fence around Aberdares Forest, ongoing
fencing of Mount Kenya, and plans for Mau Ebuuru through partnership with Kenya
Wildlife Services and the KFS. He showed that the funding was predominantly from
participants of the annual Rhino Charge, a cross-country event to raise funds for
conservation of mountain forests. Lambrecht highlighted some benefits of PPP including
shared responsibility, improved transparency and accountability in governance, and direct
community participation.
Esther Muiruri, Equity Bank, presented on the role of the banking sector in forestry
investment. She reported that market-based approaches presented in recent investment
models for the environment have opened opportunities for banks. She highlighted her
company’s support projects, including sustainable livelihoods projects for the Ogiek
community and others in the Mau, and the development of energy saving cooking “jikos”
(charcoal cooking stoves). Participants discussed: the possibility of banks’ involvement
in carbon investments; provision of competitive grants; and collaboration with
international banks with experience in investing in the environment.
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REVIEW AND
STATEMENT
DISCUSSIONS
ON
THE
DRAFT
OUTCOME
On Wednesday morning, 7 November, participants discussed the outcome statement and
made recommendations for improving the text. David Mbugua, KFS, chaired this session.
On the preamble, participants called for additional statements summarizing some key
constraints to sustainable forest management.
On key factors for success, they suggested additional text emphasizing: the dependence
of “human livelihoods” on sustainable ecosystem management; the need for sustained
high-level political commitment and support, in order to achieve transformational change
in ecosystem management; and the need for alternative livelihood sources and benefit
sharing with communities in order to address the drivers of deforestation. They also
suggested replacing “forest governance” with “ecosystem governance” in the entire
statement.
They noted that the five-year roadmap should, inter alia: emphasize implementation of
policies; coordinate and harmonize the activities of institutions; consider small-scale
farmers in the REDD+ Strategy; and include long-term goals on institutionalization of
PES without further burdening the private sector or causing increased utility bills.
CLOSING CEREMONY
The Master of Ceremony for the high-level closing session on Wednesday, 7 November,
was Lawrence Mwadime, Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife.
David Mbugua, KFS, presented highlights of the outcome statement with amendments
agreed upon by participants.
Achim Steiner said the outcome statement provides a basis for the country’s
implementation of policies for sustainable management of forests and water towers,
adding that restoration of forests should not be seen as taking land from some, but as
restoration of ecosystem services for all. He lauded the government for its bold action to
save the Mau Forest, noting that it was projected that continued excision and degradation
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would have led to the extinction of the ecosystem within 15 years. Steiner expressed the
hope that Kenyans would pay attention to debates regarding the environment to inform
their choice of the next government.
David Stower, speaking on behalf of the Minister of Water and Irrigation, highlighted
some ongoing initiatives of his ministry, including the ongoing review of the water policy
and development of a master plan for the five water towers. He reported that according to
a recent study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which was commissioned
to evaluate abundance of water resources, Kenya is no longer categorized as a waterscarce country due to discovery of earlier unknown ground water resources. Achim
Steiner presented to the Permanent Secretary, a copy of the WRMA-UNEP report
“Securing Water and Land in the Tana Basin: A Resource Book for Water Managers and
Practitioners.”
Josephat Koli Nanok, Assistant Minister, Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, called for
consideration of the effects of mineral exploration and extraction on forest and water
resources. He said that the high-level dialogue was an opportunity to accelerate progress
in achieving Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the implementation of reforms and effective
planning of the water towers.
Dalmas Otieno, Ministry of State for Public Service, speaking on behalf of the Prime
Minister, welcomed the outcome statement and lauded the wide participation of the
public and private sectors in the dialogue. He said PPPs are important for ensuring that
forestry plays its part in supporting the transition to a green economy. He stressed that a
“green” Kenya requires more than 10% tree cover and emphasized the need to ensure that
communities set aside areas for tree planting. He underscored the role of the media in
ensuring public awareness and accurate reporting on implementation of policies, and
further called for definite timelines for activities proposed in the outcome statement.
Karanja Njoroge, Centre for Environmental Action, gave a vote of thanks to the
government officials, directors of public and private institutions, and all participants for
their dedication to the dialogue, and closed the meeting at 12:45pm.
DIALOGUE OUTCOME STATEMENT
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In the outcome statement, dialogue participants noted that deforestation in Kenya’s water
towers deprives the Kenyan economy of 6 billion Shillings annually and threatens the
supply of more than 70% of the country’s water supply. They remarked on the growing
public demand to save water towers and forests, calling for an ecosystem approach in
managing land, water and living resources. Participants highlighted key factors of
successful sustainable ecosystem management including: sustained high-level cross-party
support; establishment of enabling conditions for private sector investments; and clear
institutional arrangements to ensure efficient coordination between relevant government
sectors, and with stakeholders.
Participants recognized the role of the private sector and local communities in ecosystem
restoration and management, and called for stronger engagement with communities and
the private sector and removal of barriers to long-term PPPs.
In a call for action, participants presented a roadmap for the next five years
recommending:
1. that the government should strengthen implementation and enforcement of
policies and measures that can be the basis of sustainable management of water
towers and forests, including transparent monitoring and performance appraisals;
2. that key emerging policies and strategies such as the Water Master Plan and the
REDD+ Strategy should have a clear focus on contributing to sustainable forest
and ecosystem management, and contribute to sustainable livelihoods;
3. improved coordination and synergies of government departments in order to avoid
overlapping mandates, and ensure streamlining and rationalizing of roles and
responsibilities as well as the establishment of performance based monitoring;
4. the establishment of PES schemes to conserve and restore forests and inland
waters;
5. the development of a multi-source investment portfolio to encourage PPPs which
can support sustainable management and utilization of forests;
6. building on research to update data and manage knowledge on the critical role and
economic importance of forest ecosystems for Kenya’s wellbeing; and
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7. Promotion and increased investment in capacity building through participation,
education, training of stakeholders and creation of public awareness on the critical
role of forest ecosystems to economic and sectoral development needs.
Dialogue participants invited the Permanent Secretary for Forestry and Wildlife to bring
the outcome statement to the attention of the Sector Chairs involved with future planning
of Kenya’s Water Towers, Forests and Green Economy and to facilitate the continuation
of the dialogue.
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