NAIROBI, Kenya – The Kinale Forest tree nursery in Kiambu County is poised to become a cornerstone of Kenya’s environmental conservation efforts, following an inspection by Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Dr Deborah Barasa.
Describing the nursery as a strategic facility, CS Barasa emphasized its key role in achieving the country’s 30 per cent national tree cover target.
She issued a firm directive to all forest stations, instructing that each must be fully prepared to produce at least one million seedlings, with photographic evidence and detailed reports submitted to ensure accountability.
“I want to see action in every forest station,” CS Barasa said, underscoring that large-scale seedling production is the backbone of national tree-growing and restoration programmes.
CS Deborah Barasa inspects Kinale Forest Nursery, calls for action across all forest stationsCabinet Secretary for @Environment_Ke, @DrDeborahbarasa has inspected the Kinale Forest tree nursery in Kiambu County, describing it as a strategic facility in Kenya’s push to achieve
The Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Alex Lemarkoko, highlighted the nursery’s strategic location along a major highway, allowing citizens to easily access and purchase seedlings for household and community planting initiatives.
To support production, the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has supplied one million planting tubes, while labour remains a critical challenge. To address this, KFS has employed 85 casual workers under the Greenzone Project and is exploring partnerships with the National Youth Service (NYS) to boost production further.
“Many people do not fully understand the magnitude and effort involved in producing seedlings at this scale,” Lemarkoko noted.
Community Forest Association (CFA) Chairman for Kinale, Dominic Chui, praised the strong collaboration between local communities and KFS, noting that local participation and ownership are essential for Kenya’s journey towards a greener, more sustainable environment.
The Kinale Forest Nursery is expected to supply high-quality seedlings for government and community tree-planting initiatives, marking a major step forward in Kenya’s climate action and environmental conservation agenda.