Photo Caption: Stakeholders pose for a group photo during a press briefing on National Mazingira Day 2026 at the Kenya Forest Service Nairobi Conservancy Office on Monday, October 5, 2026.
NAIROBI, October 5, 2026 — Kenya is targeting 17.24 million trees during this year’s Mazingira Week as the Government intensifies efforts to accelerate environmental restoration and advance the national target of growing 15 billion trees by 2032.
The Mazingira Week, which began Monday and will culminate in National Mazingira Day on Saturday, October 10, will bring together Government agencies, communities, institutions, the private sector and other stakeholders in tree growing, environmental clean-ups and restoration activities across the country.
Speaking during a press briefing at the Kenya Forest Service Nairobi Conservancy Office on Monday, Government Spokesperson Charles Owino said the campaign was a national call for Kenyans to take practical action to protect and restore the environment.
“This year’s Mazingira Day is not simply a day on the calendar; it is a national call to action for environmental conservation,” Owino said.
He said environmental conservation was not only a Government responsibility, but required deliberate action by citizens, communities and institutions to protect natural resources and improve their surroundings.
“Environmental conservation is practical and personal and not just a Government policy issue,” Owino said, noting that it supports clean water, good health, food, livelihoods, jobs and economic opportunities.
He urged Kenyans to plant and nurture trees, protect existing forests, clean neighbourhoods and public spaces, restore degraded areas, protect rivers and wetlands, dispose of waste responsibly and mobilise others to participate.
Owino said the week would feature seven tree-growing streams targeting 17.24 million seedlings, including activities involving village elders, Kenya Forest Service and Community Forest Associations, education institutions, the Kenya Prisons Service and the National Youth Service.
The largest component will involve 77,252 village elders planting 100 trees each across the country, translating to about 7.7 million trees. Kenya Forest Service and Community Forest Associations will lead planting at 79 sites in 31 counties, targeting more than five million trees.
The Kenya Prisons Service will plant one million trees across 68 correctional facilities, while the National Youth Service will plant 1.5 million trees. Basic education institutions, TVETs and higher education institutions will contribute 640,000, one million and 400,000 trees respectively.
Owino said the national tree-growing exercise would also include a Presidential Green Challenge targeting more than 5.1 million trees, with the national event hosted in Trans Nzoia County.
Speaking during the same briefing, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Dr Deborah M. Barasa said the campaign was intended to turn environmental conservation into a sustained national effort rather than a one-day activity.
“Mazingira Day is not merely a ceremonial occasion. It is a national call to action,” Dr Barasa said.
She said every tree planted under the programme would be counted, geo-tagged and certified to strengthen accountability and enable the Government to track survival and impact.
“The effort is whole-of-government and whole-of-society,” she said, noting that Government had mobilised ministries, departments, agencies, counties, communities and other partners to support the programme.
Dr Barasa said the national celebrations would be held in Trans Nzoia County, where the Presidential Green Challenge and tree-growing ceremony will take place at Konoin Primary School in Shikhendu before proceeding to Kenya Seed Company Elgon Downs Farm in Endebess.
She said the Government was also focusing on the survival of planted trees through 90-day checks, quarterly tracking of pledges and long-term support for Community Forest Associations and farmer groups.
The CS called on Kenyans to participate in tree growing and environmental clean-ups, saying individual action was essential to complement Government efforts.
“Plant a tree. Adopt a seedling. Join a community clean-up. Support a school or a Community Forest Association. Encourage your neighbour. Teach your children,” she said.
This year’s Mazingira Day will be marked under the theme, “Our Environment, Our Responsibility: Collective Action for Tree Growing and Environmental Stewardship,” with the campaign anchored on the slogan #PandaMitiBoreshaMazingira.
