NAIROBI, Kenya – Viral videos appearing to show long convoys of trucks carrying freshly cut timber from Kenya’s forested highlands have triggered public concern over the state of the country’s forests and critical water catchment areas.
The footage, whose dates and circumstances could not be independently established from the material provided, has circulated widely on social media, with users claiming that large-scale logging is taking place in areas including Keraita Forest, the Aberdare ecosystem and other forested areas.
One video shows a procession of large white trucks loaded with logs attempting to climb a steep, dusty road near what appears to be a forested area.
The trucks struggle up the unpaved incline as residents, motorists and other onlookers gather along the roadside.
Another clip shows a long line of timber trucks parked or moving slowly along a narrow paved road through hilly terrain.
Social media users have identified some of the footage as being from Keraita Forest in Kiambu County, near Kimende, while others have linked similar scenes to the Aberdare area.
The locations and timing of the footage could not be independently verified from the videos alone.
Public Concern Over Forest Destruction
The circulation of the footage has prompted criticism from environmental activists, conservationists and other Kenyans, who have questioned whether adequate safeguards are being applied to protect indigenous forests and water catchments.
Some critics have accused the Government of placing commercial interests and infrastructure development ahead of environmental conservation.
One social media user questioned the sight of timber trucks leaving Keraita Forest, asking whether conservation enforcement was being maintained.
Another argued that planting new seedlings could not immediately replace mature indigenous trees that provide ecological and biodiversity benefits.
Other users have called for greater transparency over timber harvesting permits and stronger oversight of activities in public forests.
The criticism comes against the backdrop of President William Ruto’s 15 billion tree-growing programme, which seeks to increase Kenya’s tree cover and restore degraded forests and rangelands.
Ruto has repeatedly linked the programme to climate resilience and the protection of water catchments. In 2023, he said the Government would grow at least 15 billion trees and restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded forests and rangelands.
The Government has continued to promote the programme in 2026, with the State Department for Forestry saying in June that it was accelerating implementation of the 15 billion tree target by 2032.
Logging Policy Under Scrutiny
The controversy also revives debate over Kenya’s policy on commercial logging.
The Government lifted the 2018 logging moratorium in 2023 to allow harvesting of mature trees in commercial forest plantations. The State Department for Forestry says the policy was intended to allow mature trees to be harvested before they deteriorated while supporting jobs and incomes.
Government officials have previously stressed that the policy was intended to apply to commercial plantations rather than indigenous forests.
In July 2023, then Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya said harvesting would be permitted in gazetted commercial forests involving exotic trees, while indigenous forests would not be opened to logging.
The legal and policy position has since remained subject to litigation and subsequent government directives. A September 2026 report said the Environment and Land Court had struck out a petition challenging the 2023 decision to lift the logging ban.
At the same time, the Kenya Forest Service has warned against illegal tree cutting in public and community forests.
The Service says that, under its current enforcement position, harvesting is only allowed on private farms while a moratorium on logging in public and community forests is implemented. It has also said it has intensified patrols and the enforcement of movement permits for forest produce.
Aberdares And Other Water Towers
The concerns surrounding the videos have placed renewed attention on the protection of Kenya’s major forest ecosystems.
The Aberdare Range is among the country’s important water catchment areas, supporting rivers and ecosystems that underpin agriculture, settlements and other economic activities.
Environmental campaigners have long warned that forest degradation can increase soil erosion, affect water regulation and threaten biodiversity.
Karura Forest has similarly become a prominent symbol of Kenya’s conservation movement, particularly because of the environmental campaigns associated with the late Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement.
The forest has historically been the focus of campaigns against land grabbing and encroachment.
Government Faces Calls For Transparency
The latest controversy comes as the Government continues to promote tree growing and ecosystem restoration as part of its climate action agenda.
President Ruto has previously described forest destruction as a threat to Kenya’s climate resilience and directed forest rangers to strengthen efforts against illegal logging and other forms of interference with forests.
The Government has also continued to support programmes aimed at sustainable forestry and landscape restoration. In July 2026, the State Department for Forestry said it was working with development partners to mobilise investment for sustainable forestry, landscape restoration and climate resilience.
The viral footage, however, has renewed questions about how timber harvesting rules are being enforced on the ground.
