The government has announced a nationwide environmental campaign targeting 17.24 million trees during Mazingira Week, ahead of National Mazingira Day on October 10, 2026.
Speaking during a press briefing on Monday, Government Spokesperson Charles Owino said the campaign would mobilise Kenyans to take practical action in their homes, communities, institutions and workplaces to restore tree cover and clean up 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.
With five days to the national celebrations, Owino said the countdown would feature a series of sector-specific activities beginning Tuesday, October 6, with Mazingira Education Institution Day, when schools and other learning institutions will undertake tree planting and environmental clean-ups.
Wednesday will be dedicated to mine-site restoration in Kakamega, Siaya, Migori, Busia and Kisii, while Thursday will focus on highway greening and drainage clean-ups.
Friday will be observed as Mazingira Cleanup Day across all 47 counties.
Saturday, October 10, will mark National Mazingira Day and National Tree Growing Day.
Owino said the campaign would involve communities, schools, village elders, prisons, the National Youth Service and other institutions as Kenya seeks to achieve its target of 15 billion trees by 2032.
On National Mazingira Day, the government plans to plant more than five million trees through a Presidential Green Challenge between 11 am and noon. The exercise will cover 79 sites across 31 counties, with 51,115 community members expected to participate.
Owino said 77,252 village elders would also lead the planting of 7.7 million trees at village level, while the Kenya Prison Service would plant one million trees across 68 correctional facilities. The National Youth Service is expected to plant another 1.5 million trees.
Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa said the campaign would go beyond planting trees to restoring entire ecosystems and ensuring the survival of seedlings.
“Our input is planting trees. But let us remember that our outcome is really survival,” Barasa said.
She said the government was focusing on forests, wetlands, lakes, rivers and degraded land as part of a national landscape ecosystem restoration strategy.
“If we restore only the water towers and we forget the riverine areas, then again there will be damage to that area,” she said.
Barasa said the government would also strengthen agroforestry, aerial seeding and community involvement, particularly through village elders and Community Forest Associations.
She said technology would be used to track the progress of restoration through the JazaMiti digital platform, including the number of trees planted, their survival and the ecosystems restored.
“We are not just talking about planting of trees, but we are looking at survival,” she said.
The theme for this year's Mazingira Day is “Our environment, our responsibility, collective action for tree growing and environmental stewardship.”
Owino said the theme was a call for every Kenyan, government agency, community, private-sector organisation and civil society group to take responsibility for protecting the environment.
The campaign comes as the government races to achieve the 15 billion-tree target by 2032.
According to Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa, Kenya has so far planted 2.2 billion trees countrywide, surpassing the two-billion mark but still leaving the government with more ground to cover in its bid to achieve the 15 billion-tree target by 2032.
She said the government would continue using technology, natural and artificial regeneration, fencing and aerial seeding, particularly to restore hard-to-reach areas.
“We still need to do a lot,” Barasa said.