Bungoma to partner with Jumbo Charge in bid to conserve Mt Elgon forest
Some of the vehicles that participated in the Mt Elgon 4-by-4 annual Jumbo Charge rally that aims to conserve one of Kenya’s endangered water towers- Mt Elgon forest water tower.
What you need to know:
Bungoma Deputy Governor Jennifer Mbatiany regretted that wild animals had moved to the Ugandan side, while some are on the verge of extinction
She said it was prudent for all stakeholders, including the county government, to join hands in conserving one of the five main water towers in the country
- The county government plans to make the annual event bigger by partnering with other players while also making Mt Elgon a more visible tourist attraction
The Bungoma County government wants to revive the Mt Elgon 4-by-4 annual Jumbo Charge rally that aims to conserve one of Kenya’s endangered water towers.
The Mt Elgon forest cover in Bungoma and Trans Nzoia counties has been depleted by deforestation.
Speaking when he launched this year's event on Saturday, Bungoma Deputy Governor Jennifer Mbatiany hailed organisers for being at the forefront of conserving the forest.
She regretted that wild animals had moved to the Ugandan side, while some are on the verge of extinction.
"While this rally brings forth old memories of the Safari rallies that we used to experience as young kids growing up, I want to laud organisers of the Jumbo Charge who over years since inception have taken a leading role in the conversation of our main water tower of Mt Elgon," she said.
Join forces
She said it was prudent for all stakeholders, including the county government, to join hands in conserving one of the five main water towers in the country.
Bungoma Deputy Governor Ms Jennifer Mbatiany plants a tree at Cheptais in Mt Elgon during the flagging off of the annual 4 by 4 jumbo charge motor race on October 8, 2022. The event is aimed at conserving the Mt Elgon water catchment tower.
Ms Mbatiany added that the county government plans to make the annual event bigger by partnering with other players while also making Mt Elgon a more visible tourist attraction.
"This region is endowed with dozens of tourist attraction sites like the Mt Elgon bird caves and with such sporting activities, we endeavour to make it bigger and better," she said.
Environment Chief Officer Moses Soet said his department will purchase seedlings that will be distributed to residents around the forests and increase tree cover.
Mr Charles Mulupi, the chairman of Jumbo Charge, said the eighth edition saw participants plant over 4,000 tree seedlings in the forest in Cheptais.
"We are proud to announce that we managed to plant over 4,000 tree seedlings and we plan to plant even more," Mr Mulupi said.
Neglect by previous government
He hailed the new county government for partnering with the group, lamenting neglect by the previous regime.
"We are happy that the current county government has shown commitment in partnering with us in this venture. Moving forward, we will make it an even bigger event," he added.
Bungoma region conservator Koech Kibenei lauded the afforestation efforts, saying most of the forest had been destroyed, endangering the ecosystem.
He observed that over 10,000 hectares of forest land had been destroyed, calling on partnerships among stakeholders to replant the forest.
The Mr Elgon Jumbo charge social event is an annual car racing sports that attracts participants from across the county and happens in Mt Elgon forest to raise funds toward the conservation and management of the Mt. Elgon Eco-system. Winners are usually awarded with presents in form of cash and trophies
This year's event saw participating drivers navigate through the muddy and mountainous Mt Elgon roads.
