The Green Belt Movement

STATEMENT BY THE GREEN BELT MOVEMENT ON THE SENATE PASSAGE OF THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO SECTION 56(2) OF THE FOREST CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT ACT, 2016
Today, the Senate passed the proposed amendment to Section 56(2) of the Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2016 WITHOUT any amendments despite massive public concern from Kenyans.

Even more concerning was the speed at which the process was pushed through. The Second Reading, Third Reading and voting were all accelerated within an unusually short time. Kenyans must ask: Why the rush on a law that affects our forests, water towers and future generations?

The Bill now moves to President William Ruto for assent within the next 14 days. We urge the President NOT to assent to the Bill as it is and instead refer it back to Parliament for reconsideration of the proposed amendment to Section 56(2).

We also call upon all Kenyans to raise their voices and directly express their dissatisfaction with the proposed amendment.

This is not just about trees.
It is about protecting Karura, the Aberdares, Ngong Road Forest and all public forests from gradual destruction through roads, utilities and commercial encroachment disguised as development.

Our forests are not for sale.
Our forests are not corridors for destruction.
Our forests must live.
(2)

A few hours ago, the Senate passed the Forest Conservation and Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025, including the proposed amendment to Section 56(2), which introduces easements and wayleaves within public and private forests for roads, public installations, and utilities.

For many Kenyans, this is more than a legislative amendment. It is a defining environmental governance moment that will shape the future of our public forests, water towers, biodiversity, climate resilience, indigenous ecosystems, and community rights for generations to come.

Tonight’s conversation comes at a critical moment for Kenya’s environmental future.

Join us from 7:30 PM EAT. Set your reminder and be part of this timely conversation:
https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1yxBeMdqBZaJN

Kenya’s public forests are under threat: Proposed Forest Conservation and Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Section 56(2).

Join us tonight at 7.30 PM EAT on X Spaces with , , and Africa as we unpack what’s at stake for our forests, Constitution, and future generations.

Set your reminder & join here: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1yxBeMdqBZaJN

(2)

🚨 Join us tomorrow on Fixing the Nation show from 7:00 AM with as we unpack the concerns surrounding Section 56(2) of the Forest Management and Conservation Amendment Bill. 🇰🇪

Tune in as we break down:
🌱 What Section 56(2) proposes
🌱 The implications for public forests
🌱 Why this matters to every Kenyan
🌱What can still be done

We must fix the nation, and meaningful dialogue is a step in that direction. Conversations that inform, challenge, and engage citizens are critical in shaping a more accountable and sustainable future for Kenya.

(2)

🚨 HANDS OFF OUR FORESTS

The proposed amendment to Section 56(2) of the Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2016 seeks to introduce:

-Easements for public roads and other public installations
- Wayleaves for public utilities

While these terms may sound technical and harmless, they create a dangerous legal pathway for roads, infrastructure, utilities, and commercial interests to enter protected public forests.

Kenyans should be concerned because this amendment could:
❌ Open forests to gradual destruction through administrative approvals
❌ Increase encroachment into critical ecosystems and water towers
❌ Weaken constitutional protections for public forests
❌ Threaten biodiversity, wildlife habitats, and community livelihoods
❌ Create opportunities for abuse, land grabbing, and unchecked development Our forests protect water sources, regulate climate, support biodiversity, and secure the future of generations to come.

Once forests are fragmented by roads and infrastructure, destruction often follows piece by piece.

📢 Stand up for Kenya’s forests.
📢 Speak out against policies that threaten public forests.
📢 Demand protection, transparency, and public participation.

(2)

🚨 THE GREEN BELT MOVEMENT CONDEMNS AND OPPOSES THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO SECTION 56(2) OF THE FOREST CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT ACT, 2016

A dangerous amendment to Section 56(2) of the Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2016, seeks to give the Kenya Forest Service sweeping powers to authorize roads, utilities and other infrastructure inside our protected public forests.

This is not a theoretical threat. It is happening now.

There is an active plan to excise 10 hectares of Ngong Road Forest for the construction of a road linking Bomas of Kenya to Talanta Stadium. This is in addition to the ongoing construction of a luxury hotel within the same forest. We have seen similar attempts before, including the proposed excision of 51.64 hectares of Karura Forest for the expansion of Kiambu Road, efforts to establish an NYS barracks in Karura, and current plans to construct a 25-kilometre road through the Aberdare Forest.

This is how forests disappear.
First comes a road.
Then utilities.
Then “temporary access.”
Then commercial development.
Before long, the forest is gone.

This amendment is not about development. It is about weakening legal protections and opening our forests to destruction.
Our forests are our water towers, our climate shield, our biodiversity and our inheritance.

The bill is now before the Senate.
📢 We call on all Kenyans to contact their Senators and urge them to reject this dangerous amendment. Tell your Senator to vote NO to any law that weakens protections for our public forests.

If we remain silent today, tomorrow there may be no Karura, no Aberdares, no Ngong Road Forest and no public forests left to defend.

✊🏾 Stand with The Green Belt Movement.

Our forests are not for sale.
Our forests are not corridors for destruction.
Our forests must live.

(2)

Today, the Green Belt Movement was honored to collaborate with Purpose and Green Dada at Drive Inn Primary School to celebrate the International Day of Plant Health.

As part of the campaign, we joined forces with KEFRI and ChildFund among other organizations to engage with 4K Club learners, teachers, and parents. Together, we did not just plant seedlings; we planted the seeds of sustainability and responsibility in the hearts of our children .

Protecting plant health is essential for food security and ecosystem restoration

Today, The Green Belt Movement, led by our Advocacy Manager Job Mwangi, appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Land, Environment and Natural Resources to strongly oppose the proposed amendments under the Forest Conservation and Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The session was chaired by Senator Mohamed Faki Mwinyihaji.
GBM firmly opposes the proposed amendment to Section 56(2) of the Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2016, which seeks to grant the Kenya Forest Service authority to issue easements for public roads, public installations and wayleaves for public utilities within public forests.

In our view, this proposal poses a grave threat to the protection of Kenya’s public forests. History has repeatedly shown how infrastructure-driven interests have placed critical ecosystems such as Karura Forest, Aberdare Range and Ngong Road Forest at risk of excision and degradation.

While framed as development-oriented, these proposed clauses could:
• Weaken constitutional protections safeguarding public forests
• Undermine the mandate of the National Land Commission over public land
• Create loopholes for irregular forest excisions through administrative processes
• Erode environmental governance, public participation and accountability
• Set a dangerous precedent for unchecked infrastructure expansion into protected ecosystems

Forests are not idle land awaiting allocation. They are vital ecological systems that sustain biodiversity, protect water towers, strengthen climate resilience and secure the wellbeing of future generations.

GBM has therefore called upon Senate to reject the proposed amendment to Section 56(2) in its entirety and instead strengthen transparent, participatory and legally compliant forest governance processes anchored in the Constitution, the Land Act and EMCA requirements.

We appreciate the engagement of stakeholders present, including Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change - Deborah Barasa and Forestry of Kenya and Principal Secretary in the State Department for Forestry - Gitonga Mugambi.

Kenya cannot protect its environment by weakening the very laws designed to safeguard it.

This Labour Day, we honor the hands that nurture our land, protect our forests, and sustain our communities. 🌱

From tree planters to environmental defenders, your work is the heartbeat of a greener, more just future. At the Green Belt Movement, we celebrate the power of collective action and the dignity of every effort that restores our planet.

As we mark this day, let’s continue to uplift livelihoods, protect nature, and build a world where both people and the environment thrive.

Because the true dignity of work lies in its power to restore, sustain, and transform lives.

Our latest Green Belt Movement newsletter is now live.

Across Kenya and beyond, communities continue to stand up for our forests, water and future. In this edition, we share stories from the ground, updates on ongoing conservation efforts and ways you can stay engaged in protecting our environment.

Read more here: https://www.greenbeltmovement.org/newsletters/

We invite you to take a moment to read, reflect and join the conversation on environmental action.