By Lilian Mukoche
Kakamega County, Kenya: Fredrick Shidiavayi, a local and a boda-boda operator, says families living around the forest are highly dependent on the forest for medicine.
There is a symbiotic relationship between the Kakamega forest and the communities living around it.
Shidiavayi says most locals trust traditional medicine as a supplement to the hospital ones since they effectively treat various ailments such as chronic diseases, toothaches, stomach pains, etc.
Fredrick says the herbs are easily accessible and treats several diseases depending on individual needs and preparation.
Besides, unlike the manufactured drugs, herbs are chemical-free hence safe to use, he adds saying most of the other user rights residents must chip in money for licenses but medicine harvesting is free for anyone.
Although the forest is rich in these herbs, the future generation may not appreciate these medicines’ true value says Athanas Mushila, the Vice-chair and the oldest member of the Muileshi Community Forest Association (CFA).
Athanas says that passing down indigenous knowledge has been a great challenge for the group. The major reason being the lack of youth involvement where the young people have wrong perceptions about the medicine terming it to be witchcraft. They also prefer white-collar jobs compared to handwork jobs.
Although this is a challenge, the group ensures it plays its role in educating the residents on traditional medicines, hoping they will get an audience. He says, adding that they do this through local barazas, various development programs, and working with nearby institutions to create awareness.
Apart from involving the youth, the group has also empowered women to plant trees, which has always been known for males in society.
It is expected that climate change will have a huge impact on the growth, development, and production ability of forests according to professor Stanley Omuterema an environmental expert and a professor at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology.
He says both climate change and human activities have contributed to the extinction of traditional medicine in Kakamega forest for the extreme climatic conditions caused by climate change are unfavorable for the growth of some herbal plants and on the other hand, commercial gains attached to the herbal products have led to their increased demand by man.
Mr. Moses Wesanza an ecosystem conservator at the Kakamega Kenya Forest Service says this is not the case in Kakamega forest for the fact that Kakamega forest is a tropical rain forest and that makes it sustain itself in any weather or climatic condition adding that even if there might be a slight effect caused by climate change, the main threat to traditional medicine sources is human encroachment.
Wesanza explains that even though there are laws put in place, it is evident that the indigenous trees are still at risk of becoming extinct due to high human activities in the Kakamega forest.
An example is the Fagara tree, locally known as Shikhuma, which effectively treats chronic diseases. This tree is at risk of becoming extinct since it is also known to produce high-quality timber.
Mwileshi Chairperson, Mr. Joseph Mbai states that residents target the medicinal trees in the forest due to the reduced supply of such trees in their homes.
Joseph says unlike in the past where you could access these herbs at the comfort of your home, locals now go to the forest to harvest herbs since those that grew in their lands were cleared to provide space for settlement for the ever-increasing population.
To quench the high demand for traditional medicine that has led to reducing these trees, there is a need to have alternative sustainable measures to protect the forest.
Apart from teaching the locals how to harvest the medicine from trees without harming them, the Muileshi CFA has come up with tree nursery projects to educate locals on how to grow their own trees.
According to Aggrey Lukano, a committee member, the tree nurseries allow residents to plant their own trees in their homesteads instead of entirely depending on the forest. Wycliffe Adukha a KFS scout supports this, saying that this initiative will allow the various species at risk of getting extinct due to overharvesting such as the Mukombero to be able to sprout again.
Communities protecting the forest
The 2005 New Forest Act allows community involvement in matters pertaining management of the forest. Through it, the people living around the forest are given the power to collaborate with the Kenya Forest Service to conserve the forest.
While they benefit from the forest in many ways, such as energy (dried firewood), grazing, farming, tourism, cultural practices, research, and medicine harvesting, they are expected to protect it from any form of destruction tree cutting, and animal hunting.
The 2005 New Forest Act led to the establishment of the Community Forest Association (CFA) countrywide.
These CFAs oversee each of the user rights given to the community to ensure the forest is sustained. The CFA in charge of Kakamega Forest at Isecheno, Shinyalu sub-county is called Muileshi Community Forest Association.
This is a group of volunteering individuals, who reside in the area hence are well versed with matters concerning the forest on their side. It is led by a committee that oversees its operation under the current chairperson’s leadership, Mr Joseph Mbai.
Although the community is allowed to carry out their user rights, CFA ensures that they do not misuse the forest. They provide the locals with knowledge on how to protect the forest resources such as the various laws outlined in the Forest Act, the correct procedure of harvesting medicine to avoid trees from drying and dying, giving licenses to firewood collectors etc.
According to Moses Wesanza, an ecosystem conservator at the Kakamega KFS office, those found breaking the laws are liable to a punishment of up to 50, 000 Kenyan shillings or an imprisonment period of 6 months for the quantifiable amount of destroyed trees while a penalty of 10, 000 Kenyan shillings is given to the unquantifiable value. The education provided by the CFAs and the enacted laws has reduced forest destruction, although there are still culprits.
The traditional medicine harvested in Kakamega Forest comes from indigenous trees, and there are many types of traditional medicine identified in the forest.
At the same time, there is a need for more research on other undiscovered species. Examples of such trees include Mandia Whyteii (locally known as Mukombero), Olea Capensis (Elgon teak), and Fagara (Shikhuma) among many other plant species.
The CFA officials say in terms of passing on the traditional knowledge it has been a challenge for many youths who are not interested in learning traditional medicine which they term as witchcraft. They although have plans of engaging Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology to assist in terms of teaching this as a course.
