National and County Government Leadership Stewarding Kenya’s Rainforest

Deep within the ancient canopy of the Kakamega Rainforest,Kenya’s sole remaining extension of the vast Congo tropical ecosystem,lies an essential truth: our forests are the literal lungs of our planet.

As the world commemorates World Rainforest Day under the profound theme, “The Forest Within You,” the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Dr. Deborah Mlongo Barasa ,EGH reinforces the reality that human survival is intertwined with the health of these natural sanctuaries.

This unique ecosystem, rich with rare primates, vibrant butterflies, and invaluable medicinal plants, stands as a living museum of nature’s genius and a heritage that must be protected at all costs.

In confronting the global triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, the costs of environmental degradation are felt locally through vanishing species, declining water sources, and rising human-wildlife conflict.

To choose hope over despair, the Ministry has put in place a robust policy framework, anchored by the National Forestry Policy 2023 and the National Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Strategy.

In this mission, the collaboration between the Ministry,led by Cabinet Secretary Dr. Deborah Mlongo Barasa, EGH and the Principal Secretary for the State Department for Forestry, Mr. Gitonga Mugambi,and key stakeholders, including the Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Dr. Idah Betty Odinga, and the Governor of Kakamega County, H.E. FCPA Fernandes Barasa, remains pivotal.

Steps are already underway to strengthen the Kenya Forest Service with enhanced personnel and equipment to combat illegal logging, while specific guidelines are being deployed to eliminate localized threats like the invasive guava menace that compromises the Kakamega ecosystem.

True environmental restoration extends into tangible economic transformation.

In alignment with the national directive to plant 15 billion trees by 2032 and achieve a 30% forest cover, citizens across the country are called upon to plant high-value trees that nourish communities, restore soil health, and secure sustainable livelihoods.

Protecting our rainforests is an existential duty. Ultimately, the forest within each individual must rise to defend and nurture the forests around us, securing dignity, climate resilience, and life for generations to come.