The Mountain Journal
A renewed tree-growing campaign has been launched around Sasumua Dam in South Kinangop, Nyandarua County, in a bid to protect the reservoir from siltation, pollution, soil erosion and excessive evaporation.
Located at the foothills of the Aberdare Range in Njabini, Sasumua Dam receives water from the Chania, Sasumua and Kiburu rivers and produces an estimated 52 million to 59 million litres of treated water daily.
The water is conveyed through a 60-kilometre pipeline to the Kabete Treatment Plant before entering the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company distribution network.
The reservoir supplies about 11 per cent of Nairobi’s water, making conservation of its catchment important to the city’s water security.
The Dedan Kimathi Foundation has been leading tree-growing activities around the dam since 2019 in partnership with Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company and other stakeholders.
The foundation says restoring vegetation along the riparian zone will create a protective buffer that can reduce soil erosion and siltation, limit evaporation during prolonged dry spells and help prevent agricultural chemicals and waste from entering the reservoir.
However, livestock grazing has affected the survival of seedlings in some sections of the riparian area. The foundation has consequently introduced less palatable species, including Juniperus procera, commonly known as red cedar, which is less vulnerable to livestock but grows relatively slowly.
Some sections of the riparian zone have recorded tree survival rates of more than 85 per cent, raising hopes that broader restoration can succeed.
On Friday, the foundation joined Sasumua Dam management and staff, Kenya Army Corps of Transport from Kahawa Garrison, Patience Manga Foundation, Wangui Gikonyo Gathimba’s team, Studio 18 Cyber, Nevus Outreach Kenya, Kinangop Technical and Vocational College and local residents to plant 10,000 trees.
The National Government Administration Officers were represented by the area chief.
The seedlings were supplied by the Kenya Defence Forces through its Kahawa Tree Nursery and the Dedan Kimathi Foundation through its Njabini Legacy Tree Nursery.
The foundation said the exercise contributes to its target of growing 50 million trees by 2032 in support of the national government’s 15 billion tree-growing programme. It is also working with the Kenya Defence Forces, which has been tasked with growing 450 million trees by 2032.
The organisation said sustained tree-growing was necessary to help Kenya achieve its 30 per cent national tree-cover target and strengthen resilience against climate change and environmental degradation.
It has called for greater involvement of communities living around Sasumua, arguing that residents are more likely to protect the trees if conservation delivers tangible benefits to their livelihoods.
The foundation is urging Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company, local leaders, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change, Kenya Forest Service, CKL Africa, Seedballs Kenya and the Nairobi and Nyandarua county governments to support communities around the dam.
Proposed interventions include water storage tanks, farm inputs, quality seeds, fodder crops, fruit trees and reliable piped water.
The foundation says improving local livelihoods will encourage residents to safeguard the trees and protect the wider Sasumua catchment.
Through its Wanjugu Kimathi Green Legacy initiative, the Dedan Kimathi Foundation says it will continue promoting tree growing across Kenya as part of efforts to combat deforestation and strengthen environmental conservation.
It maintains that protecting Sasumua Dam is not only an environmental priority but also an important investment in securing water supplies for millions of Nairobi residents.
