Kenya Mobilises Nationwide Push to Plant 17.24 Million Trees in Six-Day Mazingira Drive

From left: Principal Secretary for Forestry Mr. Gitonga Mugambi, CBS, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Dr. Deborah Mlongo Barasa, and Government Spokesperson Mr. Charles Owino, MBS, during a press briefing on National Mazingira Day 2026 in Nairobi on October 5, 2026.

By Fride Amiani

The government has launched a nationwide environmental campaign targeting the planting of 17.24 million trees during this year’s Mazingira Week, with Government Spokesperson Charles Owino calling on Kenyans to move from discussing environmental conservation to taking practical action.

Speaking on Monday, October 5, 2026, at the Kenya Forest Service Nairobi Conservancy Office, Owino said National Mazingira Day, to be marked on Saturday, October 10, should be viewed as a national call to action rather than an annual ceremonial event.

“Five days from today, on Saturday, 10th October 2026, Kenyans will come together to mark the National Mazingira Day, which we celebrate annually,” Owino said.

He said this year’s celebrations were designed to encourage Kenyans to take deliberate environmental action in their homes, communities, institutions and workplaces.

“This year's Mazingira Day is not simply a day on the calendar; it is a national call to action for Environmental Conservation,” he said.

According to Owino, the campaign will focus on restoring tree cover and cleaning up the environment while protecting forests, rivers and water towers.

He said environmental conservation should not be regarded solely as a government policy matter because its benefits directly affect the livelihoods and wellbeing of citizens.

“Environmental conservation is therefore practical and personal and not just a government policy issue,” Owino said, adding that it contributes to “clean water, good health, food, livelihoods, jobs, economic opportunities, and national development.”

Owino urged Kenyans to plant and nurture trees, protect existing forests, clean neighbourhoods, markets and public spaces, restore degraded areas, protect rivers and wetlands, dispose of waste responsibly and reduce unnecessary pollution.

He challenged citizens to take personal responsibility for environmental protection.

“Kenyans, don't just talk about the environment; do something for it!” he said.

The government has organised the campaign around seven tree-growing streams, with the combined target of 17.24 million seedlings. The programme forms part of Kenya’s broader ambition to plant 15 billion trees by 2032.

Owino said the campaign would involve communities, government institutions and different sectors throughout the week.

Tuesday will be observed as Mazingira Education Institution Day, with basic education institutions, TVETs and higher education institutions participating in tree planting and environmental clean-ups.

Wednesday will focus on mine site restoration in Kakamega, Siaya, Migori, Busia and Kisii, while Thursday will focus on highway greening and drainage clean-up.

Friday will be Mazingira Cleanup Day, with clean-up activities planned across all 47 counties.

Saturday will culminate in National Mazingira Day, which will feature three major layers of tree planting.

The Presidential Green Challenge will target 5.1 million trees at 79 sites across 31 counties, with 51,115 community members mobilised to participate. The national event will be hosted in Trans Nzoia County at Kenya Seed and Kimothon sites.

A second layer will involve 77,252 village elders across 30 counties, each expected to lead the planting of 100 trees, targeting 7.7 million trees.

The third layer will involve institutional planting, with the Kenya Prisons Service targeting one million trees across 68 correctional facilities and the National Youth Service planting 1.5 million trees.

Joining the briefing, Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Dr. Deborah M. Barasa said the national campaign was part of a wider effort to restore Kenya’s environment and secure its natural resources for future generations.

“I address the nation today on a matter that goes to the very heart of our survival and prosperity as a people, the protection and restoration of our environment for the present generation and for generations yet unborn,” Barasa said.

She said Mazingira Day should not be treated as a ceremonial occasion but as a collective national responsibility.

“This is not merely a ceremonial occasion. It is a national call to action,” she said.

Barasa said Kenya would seek to plant 17.24 million trees during the week as a critical contribution towards the 15-billion-tree national target.

She said the initiative had adopted a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, bringing together the Kenya Forest Service, Community Forest Associations, ministries, government agencies, county governments and communities.

The CS said more than 51,000 community planters would participate at 79 sites across 31 counties, while other institutions would contribute millions more seedlings.

Barasa said accountability would be central to the programme, with the government using digital tools to monitor the exercise.

“Every tree will be counted, geo-tagged and certified. This is accountability in action. We are building systems that ensure every seedling planted is tracked for survival and impact,” she said.

The national celebrations will take place in Trans Nzoia County, where the Presidential Challenge and national tree-growing ceremony will begin at Konoin Primary School in Shikhendu before proceeding to the Kenya Seed Company Elgon Downs Farm in Endebess.

Barasa stressed that the exercise would continue beyond October 10, with the government planning 90-day survival checks, quarterly tracking of pledges and long-term support for Community Forest Associations and farmer groups.

“This is not a one-day event. It is part of a sustained national effort,” she said.

She urged Kenyans to participate by planting and nurturing trees, adopting seedlings, joining community clean-ups and supporting environmental initiatives.

“The environment is a shared inheritance and a shared responsibility,” Barasa said, calling on citizens to protect it “not only for ourselves, but for our children and the generations that will come after us.”

Barasa said the campaign would help secure Kenya’s water towers, soils, biodiversity and climate resilience, while urging citizens to ensure that seedlings planted during Mazingira Week are cared for until they mature.

The campaign will be conducted under the theme “Our Environment, Our Responsibility: Collective Action for Tree Growing and Environmental Stewardship,” alongside the slogans#PandaMitiBoreshaMazingira and #ITUNZEIKULIPE.

Owino said the programme would continue annually, emphasising that environmental conservation must become a shared responsibility.

“We must ensure that our environment is our responsibility. It is Whole of Government, Whole of Society and personal responsibility,” he said.