By Ken Muthomi - Reporter
Kenya, 25 June 2026 - The State Department for Forestry and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) are set to establish a joint committee that will accelerate the implementation of a partnership aimed at supporting the country's goal to grow 15 billion trees by 2032.
The decision was made during a meeting between officials from CIAT and the State Department for Forestry, where they reviewed progress made since they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 25 March 2026.
The 11-member committee is expected to oversee the seamless implementation of the agreement and also help coordinate activities under a three-year framework that they had developed.
The partnership between the two institutions is set to focus on forestry and landscape restoration, climate change mitigation, research & policy support, community livelihoods, digital monitoring systems, capacity development, and resource mobilization, which aligns with the government’s tree growing and landscape restoration agenda.
The institutions also agreed to finalize a Letter of Support from the State Department for Forestry by July 3, 2026, which will officially recognize the Alliance as the Technical Assistance provider.
“The meeting reaffirmed the importance of strategic partnerships in advancing landscape restoration, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods while contributing to Kenya's national tree growing agenda,” a statement from the department stated.
“The meeting, chaired by Agroforestry Development & Commercial Forestry Director Dr. Jesse Owino, brought together officials from both institutions to discuss the implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on March 25, 2026,” it added.
The announcement comes a day after the State Department for Correctional Services announced plans to transition all correctional institutions in the country to clean cooking energy technologies, to also support the government’s tree planting goals.
Among the technologies being strongly considered are LPG-powered steam technology—a highly efficient clean energy system that uses a central LPG source to boil water and distribute high-pressure steam to cooking appliances—as well as solar energy and biogas.
PS Salome Beacco noted that the transition will be fundamental in addressing the effects of climate change, especially given that correctional facilities are among the biggest users of wood fuel in the country for institutional cooking.
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