12/10/2026
ARE WE RETROGRESSING ON OUR CLIMATE COMMITMENTS?
The reported logging in the Aberdare Forest raises a fundamental question: Are our actions on the ground matching our commitments on climate change?
The Aberdares are not just a collection of trees. They are a vital water tower, a carbon sink, a biodiversity sanctuary and a lifeline for communities and economies downstream.
Kenya has committed to expanding tree cover and restoring degraded landscapes. But these commitments must mean more than planting trees; they must also mean protecting existing forests, safeguarding indigenous ecosystems and ensuring that harvesting is transparent, lawful and environmentally sustainable.
If trees are being removed faster than forests can regenerate, we risk undermining our climate ambitions, water security and the livelihoods of future generations.
We need answers, transparency and accountability.
What areas are being harvested? Are they commercial plantations or indigenous forest? What independent environmental assessments and restoration plans are in place? Who is monitoring compliance?
Climate leadership must be measured not only by the promises we make internationally, but also by the natural heritage we protect at home.
Our forests are our future. Kenya must turn its climate commitments into action.
— Dr. John Paul Watenya
National Chairperson, Association of Green Infrastructure for Sustainability (AGIFS)
Association of Green Infrastructure For Sustainability AGIFS KENYA FOREST SERVICE