Mazingira Day by the numbers: Can Kenya hit 15 billion trees by 2032?

The 2025 Mazingira Day celebrations will take a new approach as Kenyans are encouraged to return to their former schools to take part in a nationwide tree-planting exercise.

This year, the government aims to plant more than 71 million fruit tree seedlings across 35,570 public and private primary schools.

Unlike past tree-planting drives, Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa says the initiative will focus on instilling environmental responsibility among young learners, while also improving food security and community livelihoods.

“It is a call to action for every Kenyan to take personal responsibility for restoring the environment. We are inviting every Kenyan to go back to their former primary school to donate and plant a fruit tree, and clean the school environment. Our schools are the foundation of our nation, the place where our dreams are first planted,” the CS said during an appearance on NTV on Thursday.

Each school is expected to plant at least 2,000 fruit trees today, alongside indigenous and commercial varieties.

This year’s celebration, set for October 10, will be held under the theme “Citizen-Centric Tree Growing and Environmental Stewardship.”

The Ministry of Education had yesterday issued a directive to all schools to prioritise fruit trees in this year’s planting. Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the program aims to promote conservation and improve school nutrition by establishing orchards in learning institutions.

“The exercise aims to foster strong school alumni networks by rallying former and current learners’ support for initiatives that benefit their institutions,” Bitok stated.

The National Youth Service (NYS) will supply seedlings at Sh150 each, according to Forestry Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi, who said the government has established nurseries nationwide and trained personnel to ensure the initiative’s success.

Barasa urged communities, teachers, and students to actively participate, including by donating seedlings.

“We need to foster community ownership,” she said. “Every tree you plant can feed dozens, if not hundreds, of students in that school.”

The Environment CS projected that school programs could help plant more than 260 million trees annually, contributing to the government’s plan to grow 15 billion trees by 2032.

Progress so far?

So far, the Environment Ministry reports that 1.06 billion trees have been planted since the launch of the national reforestation campaign in December 2022.

“We're at one billion trees out of 15 billion. When you look at the previous administration, they did 38 million in five years, and we have done a billion in two years because the first year was really about strategising and seeing how to achieve this,” she revealed.

A Ministry report released earlier this year showed that Kenya had planted about 825 million trees by early 2025, short of the 2024 target of 50 million.

The initiative aligns with President William Ruto’s climate restoration agenda, which seeks to achieve 30 percent forest cover by 2032. It also aims to boost carbon sequestration, generate green jobs, and deliver commercial benefits through tree-based enterprises.

Barasa, while noting progress, acknowledged that Kenya still lags behind global leaders such as Ethiopia, which has planted 49 billion trees, and the Nordic countries, which maintain robust forest management systems.

“The forest sector was not well structured to show its economic, resilience and restoration benefits,” she said, adding that the government is pushing for a Forest Conservation and Management Bill and new strategies, including bamboo cultivation and REDD+ programs.

To track progress, the Ministry is using the Jaza Miti App, which allows citizens to record their tree-planting activities.

“Whenever one plants a tree, they're able to incorporate that. The application is geo-mapped, so we can see where planting is happening and where it is lagging. As you know, more than 70per cent of Kenya is ASAL,” Barasa explained.

The ministry is also deploying field teams to verify planting activities as it works to enhance the use of technology in monitoring progress.

Barasa cited a shortage of seedlings and limited community participation as ongoing challenges.

“Indeed, community ownership is a challenge, and we are looking to strengthen sensitisation and engagement. Currently, we are using the community forest association and local partners.”

Barasa noted that 317 nurseries currently hold about 2 million seedlings across the country and that the government is training Kenya Forest Service staff and community-based organisations to improve planting and tree care practices.