This archive report was first published on 11 August 2019.
On August 11, 2019, the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) revealed that it had earned Sh2.7 billion from its tree plantations in the year that the government imposed a total ban on logging.
According to a report by the Auditor-General Edward Ouko, KFS earned Sh2,702,904,804 as appropriations-in-aid (AIA) from forest and related forest products in the year to June 2018.
However, the report also showed that KFS spent a paltry Sh124.3 million out of which Sh67.7 million was for seeds and seedlings and Sh56.6 million for tree planting activities.
Mr Ouko questioned the mismatch between the revenue earned from plantations and the expenditure on seeds and seedlings, stating that the expenditure appeared minimal and full stocking of the plantation area may not be realised.
He also criticised the planting regime undertaken by KFS, saying it does not match with the international standards, which should be geared towards increasing the national tree coverage by 10 per cent every year.
The government imposed a moratorium on logging in February 2016 following a public outcry over illegal felling of trees that was blamed for the diminishing water levels in the country's key rivers.
The ban was extended by a further one year in November 2018 in a bid to raise the country’s forest cover to the internationally recommended threshold of 10 per cent.
