The government has called on development partners, the private sector, and local communities to invest in Kenya’s forestry sector, emphasizing that stronger partnerships are essential to restoring degraded landscapes, creating jobs, and enhancing climate resilience.
Speaking during a donors’ round-table breakfast meeting in Nairobi on Tuesday, Forestry Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi said the government cannot achieve its ambitious forest restoration targets alone. He underscored the need for a coordinated approach involving county governments, communities, research institutions, civil society, and development partners.
Mugambi noted that Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands account for approximately 89 per cent of the country’s landmass and hold significant potential for biodiversity conservation and sustainable economic development. However, these regions continue to face challenges such as land degradation, deforestation, desertification, recurrent droughts, and the impacts of climate change.
He highlighted the government’s implementation of the National Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Strategy 2023–2032, which aims to restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded landscapes while contributing to the national target of achieving 30 per cent tree cover by 2032.
“The restoration agenda is not only about protecting the environment; it is an investment in climate action, economic growth, poverty reduction, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable livelihoods,” Mugambi said.
The Principal Secretary urged development partners to scale up investments that support forest restoration while creating employment opportunities, particularly for youth and women.
He further noted that the government has shifted from a model that relied primarily on the Kenya Forest Service to a more community-driven approach, empowering local communities to protect forests while improving their livelihoods.
Mugambi cited successful restoration efforts in Marakwet, where community-led initiatives have rehabilitated degraded landscapes. He added that the model is already being replicated in other parts of the country.
“Communities are at the centre of forest restoration. When people have alternative sources of income, they become partners in conservation rather than drivers of forest destruction,” he said.
As part of the broader restoration agenda, the government is also promoting agroforestry, targeting the planting of one billion cocoa trees and an additional one billion avocado trees. The initiative is expected to boost household incomes, create jobs, and increase export earnings.
He noted that the promotion of fruit trees would enhance food security while positioning forestry as a key driver of economic growth.
Mugambi also called for increased investment in oil-producing crops to reduce Kenya’s reliance on imported cooking oil, urging partners to support the programme through seedling provision and financial contributions.
Additionally, he highlighted innovative community projects aimed at reducing pressure on forests, including modern livestock management systems where farmers keep cattle in designated feeding centres instead of grazing them within forest areas. This approach, he said, improves livestock productivity while protecting ecosystems.
He urged development partners attending the meeting to support community-based restoration initiatives, stressing that Kenya’s environmental future depends on sustained collaboration and long-term investment.
The meeting, organised by the State Department for Forestry in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), brought together development partners, government officials, and key stakeholders to explore strategic investment opportunities in the forestry sector.
