EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES ON ENVIRONMENTAL AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN LOITA FOREST NAROK COUNTY.
Empowering Communities on Environmental and Biodiversity Conservation in Loita Forest- Narok County.
May 25, 2026
Under the newly launched "Together for People and Planet (ToPP)" project, implemented by the Economic and Social Rights Centre -Hakijamii with support from Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) through WWF-Kenya, an intensive media initiative was held in Narok County from 19th - 21st May 2026 to build the capacity of journalists, content creators, and Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) on evidence-based reporting on biodiversity, climate change, and environmental governance, aiming to strengthen participants’ skills in accurate environmental journalism and improve understanding of community-led conservation efforts.
The stakeholders emphasized the critical need for technical capacity-building among the press. While environmental reporting in Kenya has grown, it has historically remained uneven and decoupled from technical legal structures and authentic human rights frameworks. Training the journalists was paramount to equip them with the tools of evidence-based reporting and data-driven journalism, ensuring they can seamlessly integrate technical biodiversity policies and human-rights-centered approaches into national climate conversations. By bridging this gap, the media is empowered to move beyond surface-level reporting, transitioning into a vibrant tool for civic accountability that effectively challenges the intersecting crises of biodiversity loss, shrinking civic space, and inequitable development.
To turn this legal and technical theory into impactful narrative action, a specialized field visit to the Loita Forest was integrated into the training to allow journalists to anchor their insights within real community realities. By embedding themselves directly with the local population, the journalists interviewed county environmental authorities, cultural elders, women, and youth to capture the severe socio-economic impact of shifting climates on traditional pastoralist livelihood This field exercise proved indispensable, as it allowed journalists and content creators to collect views from the community on biodiversity conservation and environmental governance while learning directly from local experiences.
During the engagement, Senior Chief Mr. Philip Simpano of Entasekera Location noted that Entasekera is home to approximately 7,000 people who depend on subsistence crops and livestock farming for their livelihoods.
The area has 18 villages, all located within Loita Forest. He noted that the community has protected the forest for generations, even before he was born, adding that the forest was much larger in the past and has long been cared for by indigenous people.
The chief further explained that recent land demarcation gave community members individual land parcels. The land was divided into settlement and farming areas, while a section remained protected forest. Despite land ownership changes, the forest still belongs to the community, which continues to play a key role in its conservation.
Mr. Simpano also noted that life in Loita has changed over time. “Unlike in the past when farming was uncommon, many residents now grow crops such as maize and beans due to population growth and food demands.” He added that local leaders, together with the Kenya Forest Service, are working to prevent forest destruction, although food shortages remain a challenge for some families.
By Alexander Kisioi Environmental Activist and Freelance Journalist
