Kenya marked National Mazingira Day on Saturday, October 10, 2026, with a week-long nationwide tree-growing campaign targeting 17.24 million trees — the latest push in the country’s ambition to grow 15 billion trees by 2032.
The campaign, which ran from October 5 to 10, mobilised households, communities, schools, universities, government institutions, businesses and civil society across all 47 counties, the government said. National celebrations were held in Trans Nzoia County, where President William Ruto led the Presidential Challenge ceremony at Elgon Downs Farm in Endebess.
Announcing the campaign on October 5 at the Kenya Forest Service headquarters in Nairobi, Government Spokesperson Charles Owino framed the day as a working holiday for 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. “Kenyans, don’t just talk about the environment; do something for it.”
Volunteers plant young tree seedlings during Kenya’s Mazingira Week campaign. Photo: Watan News
The 17.24 million tree target
The government set the week’s target of 17.24 million trees through seven planting streams. According to Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa, the Kenya Forest Service and Community Forest Associations would mobilise more than 51,000 community planters at 79 sites in 31 counties for the Presidential Green Challenge, accounting for about 5.1 million trees.
At the village level, 77,252 village elders across 30 counties were each expected to oversee the planting of 100 trees — roughly 7.7 million trees in total. The Kenya Prisons Service targeted one million trees across 68 correctional facilities, while the National Youth Service aimed for 1.5 million trees. Educational institutions added more: one million trees from technical and vocational institutions, 640,000 from basic education institutions and 400,000 from universities.
One highlight of the day was the Green Challenge, which aimed to mobilise 200,000 Kenyans to plant six million trees within a single hour on October 10, according to the event’s announcement.
The 15 billion tree ambition
The campaign is part of the national 15 Billion Tree Growing Initiative, launched in 2022, which aims to raise Kenya’s tree cover from a baseline of 12.13 per cent to 30 per cent by 2032 and to restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded landscapes and ecosystems.
Barasa said the country had planted approximately 2.2 billion trees towards the national target, a government-reported figure. Independent coverage has noted that the longer-term test is whether seedlings survive and contribute to lasting restoration, not just the number planted.
The government estimates the 17.24 million trees targeted during Mazingira Week could have an estimated value of Sh172.24 billion within 10 years, based on a projected value of Sh10,000 per tree.
Young seedlings in a community nursery, ready for planting during the Mazingira campaign. Photo: Watan News
Whole-of-society effort
The campaign’s theme was “Our Environment, Our Responsibility: Collective Action for Tree Growing and Environmental Stewardship” — a call to make tree growing a sustained national habit rather than a one-day event.
Activities were spread across the week: Tuesday was Mazingira Education Institution Day, with schools and universities combining tree planting with environmental cleanups; Wednesday focused on restoring mined sites in Kakamega, Siaya, Migori, Busia and Kisii; Thursday targeted the greening of highways and clearing of drainage systems; and Friday saw coordinated cleanups across all 47 counties.
“Let us ensure that our environment is our responsibility. It is whole of government, whole of society and personal responsibility,” Owino said.
Tracking survival, not just planting
Government officials also highlighted digital tools, including the JazaMiti platform, to record and track tree-growing activities. The government urged Kenyans to measure the campaign’s success not only by seedlings planted but by their survival and long-term care, using the slogans #PandaMitiBoreshaMazingira and #ITUNZEIKULIPE.
Mazingira is the Kiswahili word for environment. October 10 became Mazingira Day in 2024, when the government renamed the Utamaduni Day holiday under amendments to the Public Holidays Act, giving the public holiday a dedicated environmental focus.
More on climate action is covered in the Climate section of Watan News.
FAKTA
- Event: National Mazingira Day, October 10, 2026; Mazingira Week October 5–10
- Weekly target: 17.24 million trees across 47 counties
- National goal: 15 billion trees by 2032; tree cover from 12.13% to 30%
- Restoration goal: 10.6 million hectares of degraded landscapes
- Progress reported: about 2.2 billion trees planted so far (government figure)
