Also known as: KFS
Government agency managing Kenya's forest lands, involved in forest conservation programmes, public participation on development projects, and co-management arrangements with communities.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya Jul 7 – The Kenya Forest Service has invited members of the public to participate in consultations on a proposed airstrip project at Meru Forest Station in Upper Imenti Forest. …
Public hearing on proposed Meru Forest airstrip to be held tomorrowCapital News
… Festus Ngeno, Forestry Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi, and Kenya Forest Service Chief Conservator Alex Lemarkoko. …
Govt Plans to Desilt Kenyatta Dam to Boost Irrigation and Livelihoods Around Mau ForestThe Standard
… The restoration exercise culminated in the fencing of the 20,000-hectare water tower by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) – a project that began early in May. …
How Kaptagat Forest restoration overcame hurdles in last 10 yearsThe Standard
… Subscribe to our newsletterUsing prevailing prices of between Sh10 and Sh30 per seedling in Kenya Forest Service (KFS) nurseries, particularly when supplying other government institutions, the Secretariat estimates the national seedling market could be worth between Sh15 billion …
How forest restoration is rebuilding rural economies and livelihoodsThe Standard
… "We want to work with Kenya Forest Service now to make sure that this forest is also a place for running. …
Twelve and unbeaten: Grade Six pupil wins Kaptagat cycling categoryThe Standard
… icipation forum after finally bowing to pressure from conservation groups, development organisations and other stakeholders over the construction of an airstrip inside the Imenti Forest in Meru County.Though part of the airstrip works had already started, the Kenya Forest Service …
Government bows to pressure on airstrip plan, convenes public participationThe Standard
… The latest sign of the growing conflict came last week when a huge pile of timber stored at the estate was set ablaze by suspected arsonists, forcing police officers, Kenya Forest Service personnel, county firefighters and Brown East Africa Plantations' emergency team to battle t …
Violence erupts at disputed Samburet estate as motorcycles burn, youths injuredCitizen Digital
KFS to hold public participation on proposed Imenti Forest airstrip amid court battle By Stephen Letoo July 02, 2026 08:19 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Audio By Vocalize The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) ha …
KFS to hold public participation on proposed Imenti Forest airstrip amid court battleCitizen Digital
… The respondents maintained that the proposed projects remain at the draft proposal stage and that the Kenya Forest Service has not received any official communication regarding their implementation. …
AG seeks dismissal of Meru Airstrip petition, says case lacks evidenceThe Standard
… The petition, filed by Green Belt Movement and Just Act, seeks to suspend the new law assented to by President William Ruto on May 29, arguing that it was enacted through a flawed legislative process and unlawfully grants the Kenya Forest Service powers to authorise easements and …
Green Belt challenges new law opening forests to road projectsThe Kenya Forest Service is holding public consultations on a proposed airstrip at Meru Forest Station designed to improve aviation access for forest management, disaster response, and economic development. The project would occupy 11 hectares, with initial environmental assessments indicating minimal ecological impact; stakeholders can submit comments by July 21.
2 hours ago · Capital News →
The Kenya Forest Service is holding public consultations on a proposed airstrip at Meru Forest Station designed to improve aviation access for forest management, disaster response, and economic development. The project would occupy 11 hectares, with initial environmental assessments indicating minimal ecological impact; stakeholders can submit comments by July 21.
2 hours ago · Capital News →
The government has announced plans to desilt Kenyatta Dam in Kuresoi, Nakuru County, to expand irrigation opportunities and provide alternative economic activities for communities around the Mau Forest Complex, while reducing reliance on forest resources.
6 July 2026 · Capital News →
The Kaptagat Integrated Conservation Programme, which restores a water catchment area supplying Eldoret City and the Kerio Valley, has completed ten years and is launching a second ten-year phase focused on enhanced community engagement. The project overcame resistance from locals seeking grazing access, illegal loggers, and communities seeking free firewood access.
6 July 2026 · The Standard →
Kenya's 15 billion tree-planting programme by 2032 is generating economic opportunities through seedling production, agroforestry, forest restoration services, eco-tourism, and beekeeping across counties. Land degradation currently affects approximately 38.8 million hectares and costs about $1.3 billion annually in losses, with restoration identified as a pathway for employment and livelihood creation in rural communities.
5 July 2026 · The Standard →
Meshack Kiptoo Koech, 12, won his category at the 2026 Kaptagat Cycling Challenge on Saturday after completing the 80-kilometre course, beating older riders. The annual race, held as part of celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of the Kaptagat Integrated Conservation Programme, drew 130 cyclists across multiple categories with a total prize purse of Sh4 million.
5 July 2026 · The Standard →
The Kenya Forest Service has scheduled a public participation forum for next week to address pressure from conservation and development groups over the construction of an airstrip inside Imenti Forest in Meru County. The airstrip, alongside a state lodge and golf course, is set to occupy approximately 11 acres, though KFS says the site has sparse vegetation and will cause "minimum ecological disruption."
3 July 2026 · The Standard →
Rival groups claiming ownership of the 1,200-acre Samburet Estate along the Kericho–Nakuru border clashed on Friday, resulting in several youths injured and five boda boda motorcycles torched. The incident underscores growing insecurity surrounding the contested property, which has been subject to prolonged legal battles and competing ownership claims.
3 July 2026 · The Standard →
The Kenya Forest Service has announced plans to hold public participation on a proposed airstrip within Imenti Forest, despite an ongoing court battle challenging the project. The airstrip is expected to occupy approximately 11 hectares of forest land in the Kithoka area.
2 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The Attorney General has urged the High Court in Meru to dismiss a petition filed by activist Francis Awino challenging proposed construction of an airstrip, golf course, State Lodge, and bypass in the Imenti Forest area, arguing the case is frivolous and unsupported by evidence. The respondents contend that Awino failed to meet the legal threshold for conservatory orders and did not demonstrate any constitutional or environmental law violations.
30 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Environmental groups Green Belt Movement and Just Act have filed a court petition against the Forest Conservation and Management (Amendment) Act, 2026, warning that permitting roads, power lines and utility corridors in Kenya's gazetted public forests could cause irreversible ecological damage including forest fragmentation and disruption of wildlife corridors. The petitioners argue the law was enacted without adequate public participation and unlawfully grants the Kenya Forest Service powers to authorize easements in protected forests including the Mau Forest Complex, the Aberdares, Mt Kenya, Kakamega, Karura and Ngong Road forests.
26 June 2026 · The Standard →
A lobby group has petitioned the High Court in Kwale County to suspend implementation of a proposed Kenya-United States agreement to exploit rare earth minerals at Mrima Hill, arguing the process lacked transparency and public participation. The deal is estimated to be worth Ksh.9.7 trillion.
24 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The Centre for Litigation Trust has filed a petition in Kwale High Court seeking to suspend a proposed Kenya-US agreement to exploit rare earth minerals at Mrima Hill, estimated to be worth Ksh.9.7 trillion, arguing that the process has excluded Parliament, county government, and local communities.
24 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Justice Oguttu Mboya of Meru Environment and Land Court issued interim orders stopping the government's plans to excise and develop parts of Imenti Forest for construction of a State Lodge, airstrip, golf course and related facilities, pending further court directions.
24 June 2026 · The Standard →
Despite a court order and conservation concerns, construction of a State lodge, airstrip, and golf course is ongoing in Imenti Forest, Meru County, with workers felling mature trees under security from Kenya Forest Service rangers. The 32,000-acre forest serves as a critical migratory corridor and breeding ground for elephants and primary water catchment.
23 June 2026 · The Standard →
A proposed airstrip project inside Upper Imenti Forest Reserve in Meru County has sparked tension among conservationists, who warn that the infrastructure could disrupt wildlife corridors, water catchment functions, and ecosystem stability in one of Kenya's most sensitive ecological zones.
22 June 2026 · The Standard →
An opinion piece argues that Kenya's climate interventions must move beyond policy commitments to place communities at the centre of action and create economic incentives for environmental protection, noting that the country faces increasingly visible climate impacts including droughts and floods.
16 June 2026 · The Standard →
Communities around Mumoni and Mutitu forests in Kitui will formally collaborate with Kenya Forest Service under a new Participatory Forest Management Plan (2026–2031), with local groups patrolling boundaries and managing resource access across 13,000 hectares in these dryland ecosystems.
15 June 2026 · The Standard →
A community organisation is working to restore 2,500 hectares of degraded ecosystems across the Aberdare landscape in Nyandarua County by 2030, integrating trees into farming systems to strengthen livelihoods and address environmental challenges including forest loss and drying rivers.
15 June 2026 · The Standard →
Kenya's prison commissioner-general has directed correctional facilities to expand farming and livestock production to boost revenue, but the initiative faces challenges from illegal land acquisitions on prison properties across the country.
9 June 2026 · The Standard →
The Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy rescues and rehabilitates injured and stressed animals, including critically endangered mountain bongos, returning those able to survive in the wild to their natural habitats while providing permanent homes for others too dependent on human care. The conservancy also acts as a buffer zone protecting Mount Kenya Forest from human settlement expansion.
8 June 2026 · The Standard →
Ngong Forest has shrunk from an estimated 2,926 hectares at gazettement to about 1,224 hectares today due to urban expansion and land encroachment. Global Green Initiatives and partners are leading coordinated replanting efforts across degraded sections to restore the forest and build ecological resilience.
8 June 2026 · The Standard →
The National Crime Research Centre reports that illegal logging, extraction of forest resources for domestic and medicinal use, and wildlife trafficking are major threats to Kenya's forests. Poverty, lack of livelihoods, and construction-industry demand are the top drivers of these crimes, which involve networks of individuals, businesses, officials, and community groups trading indigenous tree species.
7 June 2026 · The Standard →
Anthony Khisa, a 40-year-old environmentalist in Bungoma County, has spent three years planting indigenous fruit-bearing trees under the Adopt-a-Tree initiative across schools, aiming to reverse environmental degradation and preserve traditional knowledge of Kenya's indigenous fruits and trees.
6 June 2026 · The Standard →
The Green Belt Movement has condemned a proposal to construct a State lodge, airstrip, and golf course within Imenti Forest in Meru County, arguing the plan violates constitutional protections for forests and calling for an immediate halt to any forest land allocation for these purposes.
5 June 2026 · The Standard →
A community-led conservation scheme called the Trees Establishment and Livelihood Improvement Scheme (TELIS) has engaged over 4,600 households in rehabilitating Kenya's Mau Forest Complex, restoring more than 1,500 hectares of degraded forest land and establishing approximately 1.5 million tree seedlings in ten months. The programme combines crop cultivation with tree seedling care, offering both environmental and economic benefits to participating communities.
4 June 2026 · Capital News →
Environmental groups in Mombasa, including Brain Youth Group, are restoring mangroves along Tudor Creek through tree-planting initiatives and have introduced beekeeping to deter poachers who steal trees for construction, fuel, and illegal alcohol production. The efforts aim to combat coastal degradation and create local livelihoods.
1 June 2026 · The Standard →
The DCI has launched an investigation into a deadly fire at Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School in Gilgil, Nakuru County, which claimed 16 student lives. Eight students have been arrested as persons of interest in connection with the suspected arson attack.
29 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
President William Ruto has assented to three National Assembly Bills: the National Disaster Risk Management Bill, which establishes frameworks and institutions for managing disasters at national and county levels; the Forest Conservation and Management (Amendment) Bill, which strengthens forestry conservation and research frameworks; and a third bill aimed at promoting equitable development.
29 May 2026 · The Standard →
President William Ruto and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki have mourned students who died in a dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, with police reporting 16 dead and 74 hospitalized as investigations continue.
28 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
A dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, claimed 16 lives and hospitalized 74 students in the early hours of Thursday. The affected dormitory block housed 220 students drawn from Grade 10, Form 3, and Form 4.
28 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →