KENYAN President William Ruto made a controversial announcement on Sunday, lifting a nearly six-year ban on logging, despite the concerns of environmental campaigners. Ruto justified the decision by emphasising the need to create jobs and stimulate sectors of the economy dependent on forest products.
Speaking at a church service in Molo, about 200 kilometres (120 miles) northwest of Nairobi, Ruto stated, ‘We can’t have mature trees rotting in forests while locals suffer due to lack of timber. That’s foolishness. This is why we have decided to open up the forest and harvest timber so that we can create jobs for our youth and open up business.’
Ruto, who has positioned himself as a key figure in Africa’s fight against climate change, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to planting 15 billion trees over the next decade. However, the lifting of the logging ban has raised concerns among environmental organisations.
Greenpeace Africa, in particular, warned of the ‘catastrophic environmental consequences’ that may result from the decision. The organisation highlighted the importance of forests in Kenya, serving as habitats for rare and endangered species and providing livelihoods, food, and medicine for millions of local people.
‘Since the Kenyan government imposed the ban on logging six years ago, significant progress has been made in forest protection and combating the climate crisis,’ Greenpeace Africa stated in a petition opposing the move. ‘Lifting the ban will undo all our hard work, as it will open the floodgates to commercial and illegal logging solely driven by profit. Our forests will be at the mercy of sawmillers who have no regard for the consequences.’
The ban, implemented by the previous government in February 2018, aimed to tackle rampant illegal logging and increase Kenya’s forest cover to 10 percent. However, saw millers and timber merchants protested the ban, citing significant job losses.
Forestry and logging contributed 1.6 percent to Kenya’s economy last year, according to government statistics. The same data indicated that the country’s total forest cover was 8.8 percent in 2022.
The lifting of the logging ban marks a contentious decision that pits economic considerations against environmental concerns, sparking debates about the future of Kenya’s forests and their impact on both the economy and the ecosystem.