As Kenya faces a rising threat from wildfires across both protected and unprotected landscapes, researchers and fire management experts are urging a radical shift from reactive to proactive approaches, with indigenous knowledge at the center of the solution.
Speaking during a workshop on integrated fire management held in Taita Taveta County, Senior Lecturer and fire modeler, the Department of Geography at King's College London and member of the Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires, Environment and Society Dr James Millington, emphasized that not all fire is bad.
Instead, he argued, fire is a natural part of many ecosystems and can be beneficial when properly managed. "While we've seen devastating wildfires like the one in Los Angeles in January 2025 that destroyed homes and claimed lives, fire also plays a crucial role in ecosystems.
It promotes forage for livestock, clears agricultural waste, and enables vegetation to regrow," Millington said.
