Kenya's 15 billion trees campaign is prioritizing tree survival over planting numbers as the country aims to restore millions of hectares of degraded land. This shift is part of a five-year partnership between the State Department for Forestry and the World Wide Fund for Nature Kenya (WWF-Kenya) to support landscape restoration, community livelihoods, and public participation in the tree-growing programme.
The partnership will see WWF-Kenya provide technical, advocacy, and communication support to the 15 Billion Trees Secretariat. The organization will also work with public and private sector partners to replicate restoration models in priority landscapes. WWF-Kenya CEO Jackson Kiplagat emphasized that the focus is on growing trees to maturity, saying, "We do not just plant trees; we grow them. Survival rate is our true measure of success."
Forestry Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi explained that the government tracks tree-growing progress across all 47 counties through the JazaMiti platform. The focus is on nurturing trees to maturity rather than counting seedlings alone. Kenya's current forest cover stands at 8.8 per cent, with a target of 30 per cent by 2032. Mugambi noted that forest cover had declined from 12 per cent between 1990 and 2010 to six per cent before recovering to the current level.
The 15 billion trees target is part of efforts to restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded land under the National Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Strategy (2023–2032). The partnership will continue WWF-Kenya's #KeepKenyaBreathing platform, which allows companies, schools, and individuals to grow trees and participate in restoration efforts. Over 3.06 million tree seedlings grown by citizens and companies have been mapped through the platform across at least 25 counties.
WWF-Kenya aims to mobilize public and private resources to grow one billion trees across its priority landscapes. The Kaptagat Integrated Conservation Programme will guide the wider approach. Since 2020, WWF-Kenya has run the programme across 26,902 hectares in six forest blocks in the Northern Mau ecosystem, restoring over 2,700 hectares of forestland and planting more than 1.8 million seedlings.
The Kaptagat programme combines restoration with community livelihood initiatives covering household income, clean energy, clean water, and healthy landscapes. The programme has constructed dams, created jobs, and provided farmers with cross-breed heifers, beehives, and high-value cash crops. Mugambi projects that more than Sh450 billion will reach local communities through seedling production, commercial nurseries, and restoration enterprises, creating jobs for young people and women while supporting water and food security and green growth.
Mugambi called on state and non-state actors, companies, and citizens to adopt landscapes and grow trees as part of Kenya's climate resilience efforts. Kiplagat urged companies to move beyond single planting days and invest in landscapes and community livelihoods. The partnership is expected to support Kenya's efforts to restore degraded land, enhance community livelihoods, and promote sustainable development.
Key points
- Kenya's 15 billion trees campaign is prioritizing tree survival over planting numbers.
- The partnership between the State Department for Forestry and WWF-Kenya aims to restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded land.
- Over Sh450 billion is projected to reach local communities through seedling production, commercial nurseries, and restoration enterprises.
