NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 4– The government and its partners are turning to sports to help bridge a multi-billion-shilling funding gap in the restoration of the Mau Forest Complex, with the second edition of the Mau Conservation Marathon set for July 3 aiming to mobilize resources for Kenya’s largest water tower.
Environment Principal Secretary Festus Ng’eno said the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme (MFC-ICLIP) requires Sh2.1 billion annually over a 10-year period to restore degraded sections of the ecosystem while improving livelihoods for communities living around the forest.
The programme, launched in 2025, seeks to rehabilitate more than 33,000 hectares of forest, restore wetlands and support sustainable farming practices across parts of Nakuru County that border the Mau Forest.
“The climate crisis demands urgency. Ecosystem degradation demands action. Communities living around the Mau deserve dignified livelihoods and resilience, and the Mau Forest cannot wait,” Ng’eno said in a briefing ahead the marathon.
The Mau Forest Complex, which spans more than 400,000 hectares across six counties, is Kenya’s largest and most important water tower.
The ecosystem comprises 22 forest blocks and feeds 12 major rivers and five lakes, making it critical for agriculture, hydroelectric power generation, biodiversity conservation and water security.
According to the programme’s implementation team, the restoration initiative currently focuses on four forest blocks—Eastern Mau, Western Mau, South West Mau and Molo Forests—while also supporting communities in Kuresoi North, Kuresoi South, Molo and Njoro constituencies.
MFC-ICLIP Team Lead Vicky Chepkorir said the programme goes beyond tree planting by integrating conservation with livelihood improvement.
“It is not just doing restoration of the forest. It is also focusing on livelihood improvement. It is now picking on all the communities that live within this enclosure,” she said.
Chepkorir noted that the targeted areas comprise about 148,000 households whose livelihoods depend directly or indirectly on the forest ecosystem.
The PS revealed that since its launch in August 2025, the programme has attracted 74 partners who have mobilised approximately Sh884 million in support, mostly through in-kind contributions.
officials say a funding gap of approximately Sh1.27 billion remains for the first phase ending June 2026.
Despite the shortfall, Ng’eno said significant progress has been achieved within the first 10 months of implementation.
“Against a target of 3,313 hectares, we have restored over 1,500 hectares of forest land, with approximately 1.5 million seedlings already grown in the region,” he said.
The programme has also rolled out a community-led restoration model known as Tree Establishment and Livelihood Improvement Scheme (TELIS), allowing local households to cultivate crops while nurturing tree seedlings.
Under the initiative, 4,625 households are currently participating in restoration activities across 657 hectares of forest land approved by the Kenya Forest Service.
Officials say more than 10,000 farmers have additionally benefited from livelihood projects including potato seed multiplication, beekeeping, avocado farming, agroforestry and tree nursery development.
The upcoming marathon is expected to play a key role in raising both awareness and funding for the conservation effort.
Unlike the inaugural edition held in October 2025, this year’s event will introduce a full 42-kilometre race alongside the existing 21km, 10km and 5km categories.
Organisers plan to award Sh7.79 million in prize money to the top 20 athletes in each category, up from Sh5.39 million paid out during the first edition.
The men’s and women’s winners of the full marathon will each pocket Sh600,000, while winners of the half marathon will receive Sh350,000.
Ng’eno said organisers are targeting at least 2,500 participants but have so far registered about 500 runners ahead of the June 25 registration deadline.
“This time it is going to be bigger and better. We intend to pay out Sh7.79 million as prize money and use the platform to raise funds for conservation and identify talent across the programme area,” he said.
The race, sanctioned by Athletics Kenya, will traverse the high-altitude terrain of Kuresoi South and Kuresoi North, an area renowned for producing world-class athletes, including marathon ambassador Faith Kipyegon.
Organisers describe the event as a platform for transforming “footsteps into conservation action” by linking athletics with efforts to restore one of East Africa’s most ecologically significant ecosystems.
“The purpose of this marathon is to provide resources for the conservation of our forests because we know the climate crisis is affecting our forests. We need to support restoring our forests to their original state,” Ng’eno said.
