This archive report was first published on 22 November 2019.
On November 22, 2019, the Kenyan government announced a 12-month extension of a logging ban in public forests.
The ban, initially set to expire on November 24, 2019, was first imposed last year following public outcry over excessive logging in public forests.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko stated that a multi-agency team would be formed to map and verify the acreage of public forest plantations, with a report due within four months.
The extension comes as the Kenya Forest Service and Environment ministry launch a tree planting campaign to increase the country's tree cover to ten percent.
Privately owned commercial forests were previously exempt from the ban, allowing the timber industry to continue operating.
