NAKURU, Kenya – President William Ruto has announced the lifting of Kenya’s nationwide logging ban, allowing the harvest of mature trees under new guidelines aimed at boosting the timber sector and cutting reliance on imported furniture.
Speaking at Molo Technical and Vocational College in Elburgon, Nakuru County, on Monday, the President said the government intends to revive sawmills in forest towns and restore jobs lost since the ban was imposed in 2018.
“We shall reopen the timber factories here in Elburgon,” he said. “I have told my Minister of Trade, Mr Lee Kinyanjui, that importing furniture from China must end. We will use our wood to make furniture, and our Kenyan youth will create that furniture.”
Ruto said mature trees will be made available to sawmillers across the country, but insisted the policy does not amount to blanket logging.
He is expected to meet regional timber processors on Tuesday to set rules for sustainable harvesting and prevent illegal forest clearing.
The nationwide ban was introduced by former President Uhuru Kenyatta to curb deforestation and restore forest cover.
Ruto briefly lifted it in June 2023, but the High Court reinstated the restrictions after the Law Society of Kenya challenged the move, arguing that the government had not conducted adequate public participation.
It remains unclear whether Monday’s announcement will trigger fresh legal opposition.
Recent data from the 2025 Economic Survey shows timber sales from government forests surged last year — rising to 618,800 cubic metres from 159,400 cubic metres in 2023 — after the temporary easing of the ban.
The forestry and logging sector’s contribution to GDP rose to 2.1 per cent in 2024, valued at Sh344.2 billion, up from 1.8 per cent the previous year.
However, the same report notes that Kenya’s total forest area has remained unchanged at 5.226 million hectares for the past four years, reflecting a national forest cover of 8.8 per cent — below the 10 per cent constitutional target.
The Kenya Forest Service has previously warned that transporting forest products will continue to require permits and inspections to curb illegal harvesting.
