Bungoma county government plans to partner with the Mt Elgon 4 by 4 Jumbo charge rally to enhance tourism.
This was said by Deputy Governor Jennifer Mbatiany on Sunday during a jumbo charge rally.
The county deputy boss hailed the organisers for being in the forefront of conserving the Mt Elgon Forest which has in the recent past been depleted by human activities
“While this rally brings forth old memories of the safari rallies that we used to experience as young kids, I want to praise the 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.
She said Mt Elgon was among the five main water towers in the country hence the need for all stakeholders including the county government to join in the noble idea towards its conservation.
Mbatiany added that the county government intends to make the annual event bigger by partnering with other players to ensure they conserve the forest while at the same time making Mt Elgon a vibrant tourist attraction destination site.
“This region is endowed with dozens of tourist attraction sites and with such sporting activities we endeavour to make it bigger and better,” she noted.
The county government chief officer in charge of environment Moses Soet said his department will purchase seedlings that will be distributed to residents living around the forests in a bid to enhance forest cover.
The chair of the Jumbo charge event Charles Mulupi said the 8th jumbo charge edition saw the participants plant over 4000 tree seedlings targeting the Cheptais forest.
“We are proud to announce that we managed to plant over 4000 tree seedlings,” he said.
He hailed the current county government for coming in to partner with the group claiming of 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 a bigger event, ” said Mulupi.
Bungoma region conservator Koech Kibenei lauded the afforestation bid saying most of the forest had been destroyed which was dangerous to the ecosystem.
He observed that over 10,000 hectares of forest land had been destroyed, calling on partnership among stakeholders in reforesting the forest.
The event saw the drivers navigate through the muddy and mountainous Mt Elgon roads to make it a success.
