More than 60, 000 Kenyans join fight to stop deforestation

Demonstrators from Greenpeace Africa, civil society partners and community forest defenders during a procession to hand over more than 60,000 petition signatures from Kenyans demanding that the government immediately stops deforestation and protect the country's water towers on October 10, 2026. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]

The fight against deforestation has intensified as more than 60, 000 Kenyans sign a petition demanding an immediate halt to deforestation in public forests.

In the petition delivered to the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry environmental groups, conservationists sought for immediate halt of project they say are eating into protected forest land.

The petitioners, led by Greenpeace Africa, the Green Belt Movement, Just Act, Friends of Nairobi National Park and other civil society allies, say Kenya’s forests are critical water towers that support rivers, regulate rainfall and sustain millions of livelihoods.

 “Kenya's forests are our water towers. They feed the rivers that supply our homes, farms and industries, regulate rainfall and support the livelihoods of millions of people, especially forest-adjacent communities who have protected these landscapes for generations,” said Sherie Gakii, Communication lead at Greenpeace.

“Yet across the country, from Meru to Nairobi to the Rift Valley, Kenyans are watching protected public forests being opened up one project at a time,” she added.

The petition received by Kihara Ndungu from the office of the Principal Secretary Forestry sought to put pressure on the government to explain how it intends to protect existing forests amid growing concerns over road construction, infrastructure projects, forest excisions, logging and land grabbing.

The petition comes at a time when the government plans to plant 15 billion trees by 2032 to raise the tree cover to 30 per cent.

“The government asks citizens to plant trees while its own agencies clear protected forests, excise forest land and reopen water towers to logging. Planting and protecting must go together. Without protection, planting becomes a numbers exercise that hides the loss of the forests we already have,” said Gakii.

The petitioners singled out a number of forests and protected areas where they say development projects or proposed changes in land use threaten remaining forest cover.

In Imenti Forest, the petition cites a May 6, 2026 concurrence by the Principal Secretary for Forestry for the excision of 2.75 hectares for construction of an airstrip, golf course and State Lodge.

It further claims that clearing of the forest and construction works on the proposed airstrip are going on a court order blocking construction.

The environmentalists argued that there has been blatant disregard for court orders halting destruction of public forests warning that allowing projects to proceed despite legal restrictions could expose other protected forests to similar developments.

The petition also pointed out excision in the Nairobi National Park for the construction of a car park, and relocation of the Nairobi Animal Orphanage.

According to the petition, tree felling and clearing have taken place in an area designated as a Low Use Zone under the park’s management plan.

Already, 4,642 Kenyans have gone to court to protect the park with petitioners raising concerns that petitioners in that case were allegedly excluded from a court-ordered site inspection in July.

In Ngong Forest, they raised alarm over repeated excisions for piecemeal projects that has seen the forest reduce to 1,24 hectares up from the 2, 850 hectares gazetted in 1932

“In July 2026, heavy machinery entered the forest to clear a road linking Talanta Stadium to Bomas, while an eco-lodge was being built inside the Sanctuary Block,” said Gaki.

The Environment and Land Court issued conservatory orders halting both in a case brought by the Law Society of Kenya, the Green Belt Movement and JustAct.

At Karura Forest, the petition raises concerns over the clearing of trees around Rangers Village in February to accommodate National Youth Service personnel.

The groups say the clearing was done without consultation with Friends of Karura, the forest’s legal co-manager under a joint agreement running to 2041.

They say the government subsequently agreed to halt the project following a meeting with the Environment Ministry and are now demanding a public confirmation of the commitment and restoration of the cleared area with indigenous trees.

The Aberdare ecosystem is also in the spotlight because it is the catchment for Sasumua and Ndakaini dams, which supply much of Nairobi’s water.

The petition notes that the High Court in July cleared a 52-kilometre road through the Aberdare National Park and Forest, subject to environmental safeguards being fully implemented.

The campaigners want the government to publish details of how those safeguards will be enforced and monitored.

“Following a meeting with your Ministry in March, the government reportedly agreed to halt the project. We ask you to confirm that commitment publicly today and to restore the cleared area to indigenous forest, as the Karura management plan provides,” the petitioners demanded.

In the Mau Forest Complex, the petition points to historical forest loss, saying the country’s largest indigenous montane forest lost about a quarter of its cover between 1973 and 2013 through excisions, settlement, illegal logging and charcoal burning.

The groups are also challenging the circumstances surrounding the lifting of the logging ban announced in October 2025, saying there has been no public disclosure of the transparent framework that the Environment and Land Court required before logging could resume.

In Trans Nzoia, the campaigners have raised concerns over plans to set aside 50 acres of Suam Forest for a border town and housing project linked to a one-stop border post with Uganda.

They argue that the proposed development could undermine years of reforestation and conservation work in the forest.

Although the petitioners said they supported the government’s tree planting campaigns, they argued that new seedlings cannot immediately replace the ecological functions of indigenous forests that have developed over centuries.

They maintain that protecting existing forests must happen alongside planting trees, warning that rising tree-cover figures could mask the continued loss of natural forests.

Their concerns come as the country prepares for Mazingira Day celebrations on October 10, when millions of trees are expected to be planted.

The campaigners want the national conversation to shift from the number of trees planted to the condition and protection of forests already standing.

“This year, the question Kenyans are asking your Ministry is not how many trees were planted in the last twelve months. It is what the government will do to protect the forests that are standing today," Gakii demanded.

They demanded public information on the amount of natural forest lost or degraded, approved forest excisions and easements, action taken against illegal logging and land grabbing, and the survival rate of trees already planted.

The petition further calls for action against illegal logging and land grabbing, including investigations, prosecutions and recovery of public forest land.

In response, Ndung’u committed to hold a meeting between government officials led by the Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa and petitioners on Tuesday next week to address the raised concerns.