Restore Kaya: Amplifying Indigenous Kaya Voices through Policy and Science towards creating a climate resilient community

Seven Kaya Forests in Kilifi County are designated as UNESCO world heritage sites owing to their rich cultural heritage and practices, that for generations, kept the forests well preserved. The dual pressures of modernization and poverty has led to loss of respect and appreciation of the Kaya culture, especially among the younger generations, and massive encroachment into the forests for illegal logging, agricultural practices and land grabbing. The ‘Restore Kaya’ project aims to amplify Indigenous voices and practices through policy and science to create an enabling environment for local Kaya communities to conserve and benefit from their immense natural resources.

The project objective is to enable Indigenous Kaya Forest communities in Kilifi, to conserve and benefit from their forest resources through strengthened respect and appreciation, capacity enhancement and effective governance to adapt and build resilience to climate change.

The project aims to achieve the following impacts:

1. Piloting 3 co-created interventions that supports Kaya elders and community in climate resilience, directly benefiting 150 people.
2. Awareness creation in 3000 people across Kilifi communities, broadening the understanding of the Kaya heritage and the importance of forest restoration.
3. Strengthened appreciation and respect for Kaya elders, their cultural heritage and the invaluable Indigenous knowledge they hold.
4. Integration of climate resilient practices into county policies, furthering the region’s capacity to adapt the challenges of a changing climate