NAIROBI, Kenya — Lands, Housing and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome isn’t going anywhere—despite what the social media rumor says.
Speaking from a tree-planting event in Laikipia, Wahome firmly shut down claims that she’s on her way out of the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“I cannot resign from a government I passionately helped to form,” she declared, brushing off the online buzz as nothing more than political fiction. “Those who were removed weren’t delivering. I am working, and productivity is what keeps one in the office.”
Rumors, Reality, and Performance Politics
The whispers about Wahome’s possible resignation began swirling shortly after recent high-profile dismissals in President William Ruto’s Cabinet. But Wahome isn’t having it. Her loyalty, she made clear, is not just to the administration—but to its mission.
While addressing residents of Mutitu in the Uaso Narok block of South Marmanet Forest, Wahome made it plain: she’s in this for the long haul. Her message was sharp—deliver or be shown the door, but don’t expect her to walk out voluntarily.
She also used the moment to push back against tribal loyalty in politics. “Don’t go to the next election thinking about ‘our person.’ Choose someone who will work for you,” she said. In an era when voter identity politics still runs deep, Wahome’s development-first pitch is timely—and calculated.
15 Billion Tree Mission
Wahome’s comments came during a national reforestation initiative that aims to plant 15 billion trees in the next 10 years—a plan spearheaded by President William Ruto’s administration.
Each Cabinet Secretary has been assigned at least two counties to oversee the project. Wahome is leading the charge in Nyeri and Laikipia.
So far, Laikipia has planted around 80,000 trees, with a goal of hitting 340 million over the decade. To make the campaign more sustainable, Wahome is pushing for the return of the shamba system—a decades-old practice that allows farmers to cultivate food crops while caring for young tree seedlings on forest land.
“I’ve agreed with the Environment CS to roll out the shamba system in Laikipia,” she said, pending a green light from the Kenya Forest Service. “It’s a practical way to involve communities while also strengthening food security.”
Wahome, alongside Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu, is also rooting for a more fruitful forest initiative—literally. They’re calling for the Kenya Forest Service to prioritize distribution of fruit and coffee trees in the next seedling batch.
The idea? Make forests not only greener but economically viable. “Households should benefit beyond the environment,” Governor Irungu noted, adding that income from fruit trees can make the reforestation push a win-win for both nature and livelihoods.
