The Kenyan government has initiated a five-year restoration programme, the Kenya Watershed Services Improvement Project (KEWASIP), to address environmental degradation and improve land management. The project, valued at Ksh26 billion (US$200 million), aims to restore critical water catchments and ecosystems in 12 counties. This effort seeks to enhance the resilience of communities dependent on natural resources and promote sustainable economic opportunities.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Dr. Deborah Barasa launched the project, emphasizing the need for an integrated approach to landscape and watershed restoration. She noted that restoration efforts must go beyond conventional tree-planting initiatives to address underlying causes of environmental degradation. The project will focus on improving land management, protecting biodiversity, and creating sustainable economic opportunities for communities.
The World Bank-funded programme will be implemented across five priority landscapes: Marsabit Hills, Marmanet, Nyambene Hills, Chyulu Hills, and Shimba Hills, covering 12 counties. These areas have been selected due to their critical water catchments and ecosystems that require urgent restoration. The project will work with various stakeholders, including county governments, to ensure the programme's success.
Dr. Barasa warned that unsustainable land-use practices, soil erosion, and climate change are undermining ecosystem productivity, reducing water availability, and exposing communities to droughts and floods. She described environmental degradation as a significant economic and development challenge, emphasizing that forests, rivers, wetlands, and water towers sustain livelihoods and supply water for various uses.
The Cabinet Secretary urged county governments to incorporate the project's interventions into their development priorities and strengthen the protection of environmentally sensitive areas. Community participation, accountability, and sustainability are crucial to the project's success. Communities must be involved in identifying priorities, implementing interventions, and sustaining restoration efforts.
The KEWASIP project aligns with the national restoration agenda, which aims to rehabilitate 10.6 million hectares of degraded landscapes by 2032. According to the State Department for Forestry, approximately 88.6 per cent of Kenya's land is at risk of degradation, while natural resources support over 80 per cent of livelihoods. The project is expected to stimulate rural economies through improved agricultural productivity, employment opportunities, and sustainable income-generating ventures.
The programme, effective as of December 23, 2025, brings together national and county governments, as well as institutions like the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), and Water Resources Authority (WRA). The project's priority beneficiaries include Community Interest Groups, Nature-Based Enterprises, and vulnerable and marginalized communities.
Key points
- The project aims to restore 200,000 hectares of damaged ecosystems across 12 counties.
- The programme seeks to improve land management, protect biodiversity, and create sustainable economic opportunities for communities.
- The project is part of a national restoration agenda to rehabilitate 10.6 million hectares of degraded landscapes by 2032.
