CEC wants the County leadership mandated to manage Mt Elgon National park

Bungoma

Monday, September 4, 2023,

KNA by Roseland Lumwamu

There is need for management of Mt Elgon National park to be transferred to the County government to benefit the locals.

Bungoma County CEC for water, environment, tourism and natural resources Hebert Kibunguchi asked President William Ruto to transfer the park ‘s management to the County government the way he did with Masai Mara,” he said.

Kibunguchi said that the transfer will give an opportunity to the County government to improve and develop it more.

He added that Bungoma has already started efforts of fencing the park to prevent encroachment by locals.

“We are partnering with organizations like the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) to reclaim the riparian lands in the forest.

“With the efforts to make our national park relevant to our county, we have embarked on fencing it to prevent encroachment,” he said.

The CEC who spoke in his office decried massive deforestation in the region attributing it to the drying of rivers, wells and streams in the region.

“Mt Elgon ecosystem is the main water supplier to the rivers in this region and some parts of Uganda therefore continued deforestation will affect the water supply more,” Kibunguchi noted.

Kibunguchi also said the ministry of water has partnered with other organizations targeting to plant 31 million trees in Bungoma County to address the climate change crisis in the Country in efforts to support the President's directive of planting 15 billion trees in the next ten years,” he said.

He said the County is in talks with investors to put up hotels where tourists can stay during their visit next to Mt Elgon National park for revenue generation for the county instead of leaving it idle.

Kibunguchi said the county government has drilled 42 boreholes in the wards to give residents easy access while plans are underway for vending machines to be installed to dispense off water so that the money collected from the machines can be used to maintain the water projects.

Kibunguchi said climate change has led to shortage of food production in the region.

“Our region is not receiving rain as it used to and that is why we are experiencing food shortages perennially.

Courtesy ; K. N. A