Kenya Launches US$200 Million Project to Restore Degraded Landscapes and Boost Community Livelihoods

By Kelvin Malick 

Kenya Launches US$200 Million Project to Restore Degraded Landscapes and Boost Community Livelihoods

The Government of Kenya has launched a US$200 million initiative aimed at restoring degraded landscapes, strengthening watershed management and improving the livelihoods of communities across 12 counties.

The five-year Kenya Watershed Services Improvement Project (KEWASIP), launched on November 2, 2026, by the State Department for Forestry under the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, is financed by the World Bank and seeks to strengthen environmental conservation while building resilience against climate change.

The project will target five priority landscapes: Marsabit, Marmanet, Nyambene Hills, Chyulu Hills and Shimba Hills, covering Marsabit, Isiolo, Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Laikipia, Samburu, Baringo, Makueni, Kitui, Garissa, Tana River and Kwale counties.

Over its five-year implementation period, KEWASIP aims to rehabilitate 200,000 hectares of degraded ecosystems and directly and indirectly benefit approximately 750,000 people, with particular attention to community groups involved in natural resource management, nature-based enterprises and vulnerable and marginalised communities.

The launch brought together representatives from the 12 implementing counties, the Council of Governors, national implementing agencies, the World Bank and other stakeholders in environmental conservation and sustainable natural resource management.

The initiative comes against the backdrop of growing environmental challenges, with approximately 88.6 per cent of Kenya's land at risk of degradation. The release notes that natural resources support more than 80 per cent of livelihoods in the country, highlighting the importance of sustainable land and water management to economic development and community well-being.

KEWASIP is expected to improve water security, conserve biodiversity, enhance ecosystem services and strengthen communities' resilience to climate-related risks. It will also support agricultural productivity, food security, employment creation and sustainable income-generating activities, particularly in rural areas.

The programme further supports Kenya's target of restoring 10.6 million hectares of degraded landscapes by 2032 under the Presidential 15 Billion Tree Growing Initiative, alongside the State Department for Forestry's commitment to restoring 5.1 million hectares of degraded land.

County governments are expected to play a central role in implementation through devolved forestry functions and the integration of landscape restoration into county development priorities.

Meanwhile, the State Department for Forestry is at an advanced stage of finalising the Adopt-a-Forest guidelines, which are intended to strengthen forest conservation and sustainable management by encouraging county governments to adopt forests within their jurisdictions.

The project aligns with the National Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Strategy 2023–2032, the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda and the National Climate Change Action Plan.

Through KEWASIP, the government seeks to place communities at the centre of environmental restoration, ensuring that conservation efforts translate into better livelihoods, inclusive economic growth and a more climate-resilient future.