GAZETTE NOTICE NO. 3961

Pursuant to regulation 21 of the Environmental Management and Co-ordination (Impact Assessment and Audit) Regulations, 2003, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has received an Environmental Impact Assessment Study Report for the above proposed project. The proponent, Jeremiah N. Kioni proposes to vary 300 acres of the Aberdare (Ndaragwa Block) Forest to allow expansion of Ndaragwa Township in Ndaragwa Sub-County, Nyandarua County. The following are the anticipated impacts and proposed mitigation measure: Impacts Proposed Mitigation Measures Greening of Ndaragwa Town should be done using dominantly indigenous species found in the Aberdare Forest (Ndaragwa Block). Limit the proposed variation to 162.52 acres (65.77ha) as per the 2007 survey plan FR 341/63. Observe and protect the 30 metre riparian reserve. Create a public riparian recreational park for the town, a nature trail along the riverine reserves and other tourism assets like aesthetics/beauty/sceneries in the natural environment. • Limit the proposed variation to 162.52 acres (65.77ha) as per the 2007 survey plan FR Threat to rare, • endangered, threatened species (RETS) Threat to water • catchments such as seasonal stream Kabuko • and the adjacent Pesi and Mbombo rivers 12th June, 2020 THE KENYA GAZETTE 2131 Proposed Mitigation Measures 341/63 to minimize the negative impacts to River Pesi and River Mbombo. • Create a forest buffer zone along the water catchment areas. • The Nyandarua County Government should prepare and implement a Comprehensive Ndaragwa Town Local Physical and Land Use Development Plan to ensure optimal land use and a compact town. • Design the drainage system of Ndaragwa town to allow for optimal percolation of rainwater for ground water recharge. • Promote sustainable tourism development where Ndaragwa CFA, KFS and WRA can protect and co-manage the Twin Falls on Pesi River. The Nyandarua County Government should prepare and implement a riparian reserve conservation plan. • Greening of the town should be done using dominantly indigenous trees and other plant species found in the Aberdare Forest (Ndaragwa Block) zone. • A Community Nature Initiative (CNI) should be set up to help the public learn, respect, and appreciate town and household greening. • County Planning Development Control (DC) to introduce allocation of at least 10% plot cover for planting of indigenous trees. • KFS should build capacity of CFAs to coordinate tree and shrub seedlings production for planting by the community and other groups such as Water Resources Users Associations (WRUAs), schools, religious institutions with an aim of promoting afforestation, forest protection, monitoring and management. • Limit the proposed boundary variation to 162.52 acres (65.77ha) as per the 2007 survey plan FR 341/63. • Mainstream biodiversity considerations into county/town policies, strategies and practices of key public and private actors that impact or rely on biodiversity, so that it is conserved sustainably. • Consult and involve the public on the need for Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) as a revenue mechanism to support biodiversity conservation and to compensate resource managers for off-site ecological benefits associated with land-use practices that are compatible with biodiversity conservation such as recreational parks preservation, 10% plot tree cover. • The currently undeveloped 19.77% of the proposed varied land should be left intact for education, research and recreation purposes and it should be linked with the proposed riverine Recreational Park Network. • Involvement of the local community, a lot of indigenous knowledge can be documented with regard to the history, trends and use of the forest for educational, cultural, recreational, health and research purposes that will eventually contribute to both their welfare and that of the forest reserve. • Establish a botanical garden for educational and research purposes targeting all the indigenous species found in Aberdare Forest (Ndaragwa Block). Impacts Proposed Mitigation Measures Land, air and • Promote intensive tree planting along the water pollution riparian areas and all undeveloped open spaces. • Enhance intensive urban greening in all open spaces, roads, streets, foot paths, parking etc. • Advocate the use of clean energy such as electricity, solar, LPG and biogas. • Vegetate all embankments to avoid soil erosion and replant with indigenous tree and shrub species. • Promote massive on-farm tree and shrub planting by the neighbouring communities. • Provide for a liquid waste treatment plant on the proposed land use development plan. • Promote adoption of zero waste concept by households, institutions, businesses/public offices. • Creation of Ndaragwa Water and Sanitation Company to manage supply of water and management of the sewage system. • Compost all organic waste generated in the town and use it for urban tree and vegetable nursery seedlings production. • Uphold and enforce NEMA ban on the use of polythene completely. • Promote waste recycling. • Provide for e-waste drop off points within the town. • Inculcate responsible public behaviour on waste management through public awareness campaigns and education. • KFS to fence off all forest land to avoid any further encroachment. • Reduce pressure on the forest by promoting use of alternative energy sources such as LPG, Electricity, energy saving jikos (eco-jikos), biogas, etc. • Promote commercial growing of trees in the neighboring; communities to supply wood fuel to the market. • Establish sufficient. green spaces within the urban area. • Develop tourism circuits/link to the water fall and other sites to create additional recreational facilities i.e. nature walks, biking, hiking into the larger Aberdare Forest. • Carry out intensive 'urban greening in all open spaces and streets. • Set up a Community Nature Initiative to help the public learn, respect, and appreciate town and household greening. • Ensure full CFAs involvement in governance of the forest resources as well as implementation of the proposed expansion of Ndaragwa Township if approval is granted. • County physical land use regulations should encourage densification of the urban commercial and residential developments (encourage high-rise buildings) to achieve a compact Ndaragwa Town in order to discourage urban sprawl. • County government should prepare a comprehensive Ndaragwa Town Local Physical and Land Use Development Plan to ensure optimal land use. Impacts Loss of biodiversity and reduced aesthetic appeal Loss of forest use for cultural site protection, educational, recreational, health or research purposes Pollution from waste during and after town development Further forest- land encroachment Impacts Proposed Mitigation Measures Future human • KFS to help communities to come up with wildlife conflict practical ways to protect their property that (HWC) after don't harm animals or humans - such as town installing electric fencing to keep wildlife out development of human inhabited areas. • State agencies to work with farmers to construct fish ponds in front of electric fences as an additional obstacle to prevent wildlife from encroaching into human settlements. • Create alternative water points for wildlife to steer them away from human inhabited areas. • The government to facilitate capacity development for key stakeholders such as KWS, KFS to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. Resource use • Public and stakeholder engagement. conflict • Full access and disclosure of information to public and stakeholders. • Involve the relevant local and national bodies/Institutions resource allocation and distribution. Increased water • Promote roof water harvesting and use of rain run-off and water at plot level. reduced water percolation • Use of porous paving in the open spaces to reduce surface run-off and promote percolation. • Use of retention trenches for recharging of the underground water table, creating of green roofs which slow surface run-off hence increasing chances of percolation and evaporation of storm water. Microclimate • Plant trees (equivalent to the land to be varied) in an alternative but adjacent site to provide for change the same function of transpiration. • Plant as many trees and shrubs as possible in all un-used spaces including infrastructure corridors. Reduced supply • Domesticate the wild fruits and growing of of non-timber medicinal herbs. forest products such as honey, medicinal herb • Promote apiculture to compliment supply of honey. etc. The full report of the proposed project is available for inspection during working hours at: (a) Principal Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, NHIF Building, Community, P.O. Box 30126-00100, Nairobi. (b) Director-General, NEMA, Popo Road, off Mombasa Road, P.O. Box 67839-00200, Nairobi. (c) County Director of Environment, Nyandarua County. The National Environment Management Authority invites members of the public to submit oral or written comments within thirty (30) days from the date of publication of this notice to the Director-General, NEMA, to assist the Authority in the decision making process regarding this plan. MAMO B. MAMO, Ag. Director-General, MR/0763468 National Environment Management Authority.