By Gilbert Koech
Caption: French Minister of State for Francophonie and International Partnerships, Eléonore Caroit, during a visit to Kenya Forest Service to advance Kenya–France cooperation on forest conservation and climate action. Photo Credit: Courtesy
The government of France has pledged continued support to modernize Kenya’s forest firefighting capacity through advanced technology and specialized training for personnel.
Eléonore Caroit, France’s Minister Delegate for Francophonie, International Partnerships and French Citizens Abroad, said her country is committed to strengthening cooperation with Kenya to combat wildfires and protect the country’s rich biodiversity.
“Both Kenya and France are committed to fighting wildfires and protecting the incredible biodiversity that exists in this amazing country,” Caroit said.
Caroit spoke on Friday during a visit to the headquarters of the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), where she toured newly installed firefighting and surveillance equipment.
She was received by Forest Development Secretary George Tarus, Secretary for Administration Patrick Meso and KFS Commandant Mohammed Mohammed.
The modernization programme is funded through a 22-million-euro (Sh3.3 billion) loan jointly supported by the governments of France and Kenya to strengthen forest fire prevention and response.
The project is designed to boost KFS’s capacity to respond to fires in key forest ecosystems including the Mau Forest Complex, Aberdare Range and Mount Kenya forests across 14 counties.
The counties include Kiambu County, Nyeri County, Nyandarua County, Murang'a County, Kirinyaga County, Nakuru County, Baringo County, Kericho County, Narok County, Uasin Gishu County, Bomet County, Meru County, Tharaka Nithi County and Embu County.
Under the programme, KFS has acquired advanced fire engines, chaff trucks, troop carriers, surveillance drones with a 100-kilometre range, digital communication systems and a modern command centre to enable faster response to forest fires.
The project also includes the deployment of a Digital Radio Network and an Early Fire Video Detection system, which will improve real-time fire detection and coordination of emergency responses.
The initiative, financed through the French Treasury in March 2022, also supports training of firefighters and forest officers to strengthen Kenya’s capacity for fire prevention, monitoring and response.
The project is being co-managed by French technology company Tyllium.
Caroit praised Kenya’s efforts to protect its forests, noting that cooperation between French institutions and companies has played a role in strengthening environmental protection.
“It was an honor to be here to plant a symbolic tree and see how we are now able to monitor wildfires across three large forest areas and respond immediately when fires occur,” she said.
She added that the partnership also extends to other sectors and forms part of broader cooperation between Kenya and France.
Her visit also aims to prepare for the upcoming Africa Forward Summit, which Kenya will host jointly with France in the coming months.
The summit is expected to bring together leaders and stakeholders for discussions on political, economic and development cooperation between Africa and France.
Tarus said the newly acquired firefighting equipment has significantly improved Kenya’s ability to respond quickly to forest fires.
He noted that the technology will also be showcased during the Africa Forward Summit.
The strengthened firefighting capacity comes as Kenya intensifies efforts to restore its forests under the National Tree Planting and Growing Initiative launched by William Ruto in December 2022.
The initiative aims to plant 15 billion trees by 2032 to combat climate change, restore ecosystems and increase Kenya’s forest cover to 30 percent.
According to the National Forest Resource Assessment, Kenya’s forest cover stood at 8.83 percent in 2021.
The tree-planting programme seeks to reverse deforestation, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve livelihoods for communities that depend on forest resources.