“We will get our firewood and wood from the hills.” John had asked a group of women what they would wear now that the trees on their farms were dying out. John pointed out that the hills they were showing were reducing to bare land with sparse brush. But they had replied that they were going to get their firewood and timber from the Maasai forests, beyond the hills. They said as a matter of fact, with blind trust. They were unaware of the “debate and conferences on dwindling resources” that have taken up more space and time in national and international forums. Although John realized that he wasn’t winning, he told them anyway that even beyond the hills, the trees were going to end. They still haven’t moved. From the look on their faces, they were now bored to death! They found it strange.

John had visited this part of the country, Mulot Division in Narok District, Kenya. The area was once covered by green vegetation, made up of trees of various sizes. Steady streams and rivers flow from the hills, joining the Amalo River, which is the main tributary of the Mara River, which flows through the world famous Maasai National Game Reserve. Farmers used to grow corn and they would get a bumper crop. Maasai cows and bulls used to roam and graze on the lush, evergreen pastures. Today, John had come to participate in the dedication of a permanent house that had been built by a progressive son of the town, who was John’s cousin. John had visited his cousin several times to help him prepare for the big day. On one of the days, he had brought some valuable trees and bushes as weapons to be planted in the compound of the new house. And he had also helped do some gardening. Then came the day to open the house. John arrived very early in the morning to find that the trees and shrubs he had planted had been mutilated by the goats. Goats still roam free in this part of the world. Seeing that what he had planted had been reduced to bare earth, John felt frustrated and helpless. It was then that he struck up a conversation with the group of women and men, asking them why people don’t take care of their goats to prevent them from destroying trees. Their conversation had become long and tedious. John sighed with relief when his cousin told him that he was going to fence off the compound with wire mesh and barbed wire, and then replant trees and shrubs.

John’s encounter with the forks in the town of Rongena made him realize the immense task of any community and national forestry program. People in many developing countries have not accepted that they are faced with a myriad of problems that have arisen as a result of deforestation and environmental degradation. Maybe they don’t stop to think about it! It will take a lot of time and a lot of strategic planning, implementation, and sacrifice before nature lovers and environmentalists prove to most people that they weren’t weird, green beings from Mars, but human beings willing to save nature, and humanity of self-destruction.

After unsuccessfully engaging men and women in conservation and tree planting, John thought about what trees and nature lovers could do. He considered all possibilities to help sensitize and mobilize communities to preserve and plant trees for utility, environmental protection and aesthetic values. One of the ideas that crowded his mind was that lovers of trees and nature lead by example. They can dedicate an open space on their farms to plant trees, making sure to fence properly. He recalls that at his home in the neighboring Bomet district, he had put a lot of effort, spanning several years, beautifying his compound and the farm he shared with his parents and his siblings. He had planted ornamental trees and shrubs. And quite a few people in fifty square kilometers had tried to replicate what he had done with some success. So even someone in Rongena can do the same for others to copy. People seem to be driven by curiosity, and he concludes that there must be higher reasons for planting trees, especially ornamental ones.

Several weeks after John returned home from helping in his cousin’s housewarming, several of his cousins ​​and friends called to request trees and shrubs like the one he had planted in the housewarming compound. Perhaps there was a ray of light in the middle of the darkness! Actions have spoken louder than words! Perhaps Muot Division would recapture its past glory: wooded hills and riverbanks, and even the creation of beautiful parks to be owned by homeowners, schools, and local authorities.

It is not only the uneducated and ignorant people who destroy the trees, but also the educated stubborn and indifferent people who are supposed to provide leadership. And this scenario is normally aggravated by poverty and the double discourse of developed countries. Some leaders in Africa are suspicious and have reacted to the developed countries’ agenda with outrage and self-destruction. Determined to carve out a beautiful and impressive Mabira forest and give it to an Asian to plant sugar cane, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni responded to protests by saying the trees and forests were a luxury. With such desperation, grassroots communities should take the initiative and come up with mini-forests in their neighbourhoods, to offset the government’s ambitious programmes.