KESSUP FOREST

Shortly after leaving Rimoi National Reserve enroute Tambach and Kabarnet via C51 Road, you pass Kessup village and Kessup Forest ,sometimes known as Kaptagat Forest, seen to the right. It forms lovely roadside views. Kessup Forest is one of two forests located along the highland area of the Elgeyo Escarpment alongside Bugar Forest, further north. Despite being the smaller of the two forests, Kessup Forest, where Kessup and Torok Falls occur, is more famous for touring.

Kessup Forest occupies 26 km2, of which 17 km2 are under indigenous cover, 7 km2 under planted forest, and 2 km2 are under grass and marshlands. It is an important water catchment for Rivers Kessup, Naiberi and Elgarini. Owing to anthropogenic activities, some of its forest patch has been degraded, either to inch out more land or for its valuable timber, ergo defacing its rich biodiversity.

Granting all this, free ranging in the forests around Elgeyo Marakwet County, especially in Kessup, Kaptagat, Embobut, Lelan and Kamatira forest blocks, is getting a little of hand. Normally, high number of livestock are moved to graze and live inside the forest. While still under wraps, the demographic and resource time bomb may eventually upend this balance. Also in the concomitant worries are the forest fires frequently occurring in the escarpment at Kessup, Kapkut, Kibonge and Tingwa areas. The fires are mainly caused by arsonists and honey gatherers.