Rumuruti

The Rumuruti forest is a dry, upland forest, located North-East of Nyahururu town in Laikipia West District, comprised of over 15,000 acres of high altitude forest. It is a critical catchment for the Uaso Narok River which hundreds of people depend on for their water and is one of the few indigenous forests remaining in the area. The Narok is the main tributary for the Uaso Nyiru river which flows all the way to Samburu National Park and beyond to Haberswein. The last part of the Uaso Nyiru flows through miles of very arid land occupied by pastoral people who depend entirely on this river for their survival. The Forest has rare tree species such as Pencil Cedar, whilst it is also home to elephants, buffalos, hyenas and a diversity of other wild animals and bird life. An extension of the Rift Valley, once adjoining the Aberdare National Park, the Rumuruti Forest which is also an important water catchment area, has since been severed from this vital wildlife corridor due to human settlement and encroachment. This land segregation has caused increased human-wildlife conflict as the wildlife still populating the Forest, and especially the elephant population, have little space and freedom to move without coming into contact with communities and farming settlements. The number of elephants killed and injured through conflict and retaliation caused by crop-raiding and elephant movements within this district has risen considerably over the years, whilst the Forest has also faced over-exploitation due to demand for forest products and bush-meat poaching.

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