Ministry of Environment, Climate Change & Forestry

15/09/2026

Kenya Mobilizes Partners for Mazingira Day , A National Movement for Green Restoration.

Kenya is transforming its rainy season into a powerful catalyst for environmental action.

This year’s Mazingira Day is shaping up to be a nationwide movement uniting classrooms, farms, forests, and cities in a shared mission of ecological restoration. To gear up for the national event, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Dr. Deborah Mlongo Barasa, EGH, held a high level consultative meeting with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance.

Led by Chairman Patrick Obath and CEO Gloria Ndekei, the alliance aligned with the ministry on a central message: the rains are not merely a season, but a strategic opportunity to plant, restore our ecosystems.

Mazingira Day is adopting a comprehensive, collaborative approach involving every tier of society. The Ministry of Education will mobilize schools, students, and scouts for build up activities and nationwide tree planting, while the Ministry of Agriculture will supports farmers by distributing seedlings locally.

Under The President, H.E President William Ruto’s BETA agenda, village elders will act as frontline champions, driving community sensitization and local ownership of environmental goals.

The aviation sector will introduce advanced solutions, including aerial seedling to restore hard to reach areas, such as fire damaged zones on Mount Kenya, while supporting urban and roadside forestry.

Meanwhile, the private sector is scaling up participation, prioritizing transparency, effective communication, and community involvement.
Using the Jaza Miti platform, Kenya will transparently track and showcase its ongoing progress toward the ambitious 15 Billion Tree Growing Programme. On the main day of national celebrations, His Excellency,President William Samoei Ruto is expected to join citizens across the country to celebrate concrete action rather than mere promises, cementing Kenya's commitment to a sustainable tomorrow.State House Kenya Kithure KindikiKenya Forest Service Ministry of Interior and National Administration Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA)

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From early warning alerts to community sensitisation and reinforcement of drainage
networks, the Government has intensified measures to mitigate flooding, protect food
security and strengthen emergency response systems ahead of the heavy rains

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Big dreams and bigger actions define the journey of Young Fortune. From writing her own music at age six to gracing television screens as a presenter, she is proving that passion has no age limit. After capturing national hearts with a standout performance at the Kenya Music Festival State Gala, she continues to uplift audiences through inspirational and gospel music under Seven Heaven Music.

Beyond her artistic path, Young Fortune is a fierce champion for change. Accompanied by her parents,she took her advocacy to the highest levels by meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry , Dr. Deborah Mlongo Barasa,EGH to discuss critical environmental action. Her core missions include actively promoting climate change awareness and nationwide tree-planting initiatives, alongside pushing for government-backed creative centers in every county so every Kenyan child can nurture their gifts. The future of Kenya is bright, green, and creative, with the next generation leading the way.

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Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Dr. Deborah Barasa, EGH, engaged Mrs. Emily Yego of IGAD’s Climate Change Department to deliberate on strengthening support for an initiative targeting village elders to improve livelihoods, care for vulnerable members of the community, and strengthen grassroots climate action.

The proposed partnership will enhance community participation, access to information, climate awareness and local ownership of environmental programmes, ensuring that national initiatives cascade effectively to the grassroots.

Village elders will play an important role in providing community-level information, mobilising residents and helping ensure that vulnerable groups are not left behind.

The Cabinet Secretary commended IGAD for its unwavering commitment to ensuring communities benefit from available resources and opportunities.
She also welcomed support for Mazingira Day, noting that stronger partnerships and community participation will make a significant contribution to Kenya’s 15 Billion Tree Growing Programme, accelerating tree growing, landscape restoration and climate action across the country. IGAD Secretariat European Union in Kenya

14/09/2026

Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry receives briefing on Mazingira Week preparedness

The Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry has received an update from the Mazingira Day Planning Committee on preparations for this year’s Mazingira Week celebrations, following the successful completion of county activation meetings last week.

During the briefing, the committee reported that county coordination committees have already been activated across the country, paving the way for coordinated implementation of activities ahead of the celebrations.The committee also confirmed that adequate tree seedlings have been identified and secured, setting the stage for nationwide tree-growing activities as part of Kenya’s environmental conservation efforts.

A key highlight of this year’s celebrations will be Kenya’s intention to integrate aerial seeding into the Mazingira Week activities. The initiative is expected to complement conventional tree-growing approaches and support efforts to increase forest cover and restore degraded landscapes.

The committee assured the CS that preparations are progressing well and that relevant stakeholders at both the national and county levels are being brought on board to ensure a successful and impactful Mazingira Week.

The Cabinet Secretary commended the Mazingira Day Planning Committee for the work undertaken so far, particularly the completion of the county activation meetings and the progress made in securing tree seedlings.

The CS urged the committee to maintain the momentum and strengthen coordination with counties and other partners to ensure that this year’s Mazingira Week celebrations deliver meaningful results for environmental conservation, climate action and forestry restoration.

The preparations underscore Kenya’s continued commitment to protecting the environment, addressing climate change and accelerating tree-growing and landscape restoration initiatives across the country.

14/09/2026

Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Dr. Deborah Mlongo Barasa,EGH spoke at the Joint Sector Working Group on Environment, Climate Change and Forestry held in Nairobi, laying out an ambitious roadmap to turn climate commitments into large-scale delivery as Kenya pushes toward its 30 percent tree cover target by 2032. Addressing development partners in Nairobi,

She emphasized that true progress requires coordinated, serious investment rather than fragmented efforts, noting that the national programme has already achieved nearly 1.93 billion trees grown through government, county, non-state, and natural regeneration initiatives.

To build on this momentum, the Ministry is expanding Mazingira Day into a comprehensive, whole-of-society Mazingira Week running from October 5 to 10. Each day of the campaign carries a distinct focus: kicking off the short-rains season and clean-ups in Trans Nzoia on Monday, followed by school-led activities on Tuesday, agroforestry and mine-site restoration on Wednesday, highway greening on Thursday, and a National Clean-Up Day on Friday anchored by village elders leading Mazingira Barazas across the country.

The week will culminate on October 10 in Trans Nzoia near Mount Elgon, a critical transboundary water tower vital for regional hydrology, biodiversity, and climate regulation. During the main event, 200,000 participants will execute the Presidential Green Challenge by growing 6 million trees in one synchronized hour.

This mass mobilization will be paired with aerial seeding across more than 35,000 hectares of degraded land by the Kenya Defence Forces, the distribution of 5.2 million quality seedlings, and the unveiling of the upgraded JazaMiti digital platform and USSD service to ensure transparent tracking and survival monitoring.

Calling for the full weight of international and local partnership behind delivery, the Cabinet Secretary urged stakeholders to align their support for seedling production, logistical transport, community tools, and the branding of 120,000 green scouts and 110,000 village elders. With the short-rains window rapidly approaching, the appeal underscored that Kenya is actively closing last-mile gaps to prove that ecosystem restoration is a tangible, collaborative deliverable rather than a slogan.JICA Kenya European Union in Kenya United Nations Development Programme - UNDP United Nations

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13/09/2026

Kenya Forest Service Deborah Mlongo Barasa William Samoei Ruto Kithure Kindiki State House Kenya Kenya Wildlife Service Ministry of Interior and National Administration Kenya Space Agency Kenyatta University