Promoting community wellbeing

Menengai Community Forest Association (CFA) is a community institution responsible for co-managing the 6,018-hectare Menengai Forest in Nakuru county in Kenya, under a participatory forest management plan (PFMP).

Menengai is one of Kenya’s most important urban forests and supports communities drawn from five neighbouring sub-counties: Nakuru North, Nakuru East, Nakuru West, Rongai and Subukia. Through the PFMP, community members benefit from various forest-user rights, with ecotourism, tree nursery development and beekeeping emerging as the most important livelihood activities.

Working alongside partners including the Kenya Forest Service, Egerton University, Nakuru Living Lab, the Nakuru county government and Green Zones Development Support Project, Menengai CFA promotes both forest conservation and community wellbeing.

Forest and Farm Facility activities

With support from the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), Menengai CFA undertook a comprehensive capacity needs assessment that identified priority areas for organisational development, resource mobilisation, governance strengthening and partnership building.

FFF support enabled the association to formalise and strengthen its user groups, and improve leadership and governance systems. It also promoted gender inclusion and established better recordkeeping practices that enhanced accountability and transparency. In addition, the programme has strengthened networking with strategic partners and expanded members’ skills in lobbying, advocacy, enterprise development and sustainable forest-based livelihoods.

FFF further supported livelihoods diversification through beekeeping and tree nursery enterprises. Eight user groups are now engaged in honey production and five groups operate tree nurseries. Demonstration sites for beekeeping and nursery development, together with shared equipment, provide practical learning opportunities for members. Young people have increasingly taken leadership roles in ecotourism activities, tour guiding and marketing Menengai Forest as a tourism destination.

Significance of impact

The programme has generated benefits that extend beyond forest management to broader social protection and community wellbeing. Improved governance and organisational capacity have enabled Menengai CFA to advocate successfully for community services, including lobbying for the establishment of a local dispensary through active public participation processes. Once operational, the facility will improve access to healthcare for local residents and visitors to Menengai Forest.

The CFA has also strengthened community support systems for vulnerable groups. Scholarships have been provided to four university students, three college students and four secondary school students from disadvantaged households. Support was extended to four people with disabilities, while emergency assistance helped a member facing substantial hospital expenses.

In addition, a public toilet was constructed on community land used for meetings and gatherings, improving sanitation and public welfare.

These initiatives demonstrate how a forest and farm producer organisation can evolve into a broader platform for social inclusion, community development and mutual support.

Conclusion

FFF support has enabled Menengai CFA to move beyond forest conservation and establish stronger community-based social protection systems that improve livelihoods, inclusion and wellbeing. Through strengthened governance, diversified income opportunities, enhanced youth engagement and targeted support for vulnerable households, the association has become an important driver of community resilience around Menengai Forest.

This experience demonstrates investing in forest and farm producer organisations can generate lasting social and economic benefits while strengthening community stewardship of forest resources.

Promoting community wellbeing

Forest and Farm Facility activities

Significance of impact

Conclusion

Further reading