Youth Take Centre Stage as Government Expands Tree Nursery Programme

Caption: Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa engages National Youth Service (NYS) officers during a briefing at Ngong Hills Forest Station in Kajiado County on March 2, 2026, as the youth continued potting seedlings under the 15 billion tree growing campaign.

 Kenya’s ambitious 15 billion tree growing campaign is gaining fresh momentum, with the government scaling up seedling propagation and deploying National Youth Service (NYS) personnel to reinforce operations in forest stations.

During a field visit to Ngong Hills Forest Station, Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa said strengthening nursery capacity is critical to delivering this year’s target of planting one billion trees.

“When we are restoring our ecosystem and planting trees, we are looking at climate resilience, green economy, ecosystem restoration and also creating green jobs,” she said. 

“Right now in Kenya, we have more than 363 million seedlings. We are calling on Kenyans to go and plant.” she added

Dr Barasa noted that while seed collection efforts had improved, the main hurdle had been propagation. 

The Ministry has since mapped out key requirements  land, water, potting materials and manpower  leading to closer collaboration with NYS.

“For us to achieve a one billion seedling target within the country, we need human resource capacity, space, potting bags, seeds and water. That is why we are working with NYS,” she explained.

At Ngong Hills, the nursery target has been increased from 1.3 million to two million seedlings, with 70 per cent comprising indigenous tree species for forest restoration. 

The five-acre site, equipped with a borehole, has been selected as a model for similar facilities nationwide.

Regional Forest Conservator Joyce Nduku said the station is serving as a demonstration centre for other forest sites within the Nairobi Conservancy, including Karura, Ngong Road, Loitoktok and Namanga.

“This site was chosen as a demo because it has most of the facilities required. As potting continues, seeds from KEFRI are being supplied so that by the time numbers are reached, germination will already be underway,” she said.

On the ground, 29 NYS officers are engaged in potting and nursery management. 

Assistant Superintendent Hassan Mohammed, who supervises the group, expressed appreciation for the opportunity.

“We thank the President for giving us the opportunity to work with Kenya Forest Service. The youth are learning. In case they are not employed by the government, they can find a job,” he said.

He added that the team is capable of potting up to 10,000 seedlings per day when weather conditions are favourable.

Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa engages National Youth Service (NYS) officers during a briefing at Ngong Hills Forest Station in Kajiado County on March 2, 2026.

For NYS recruit Patrick Mutie from Kitui County, the programme offers more than environmental impact.

“It gives us a chance to get a job and to be promoted,” he said.

Dr Barasa clarified that stakeholders are being involved and that temporary structures at forest stations are solely intended to support nursery operations.

On performance tracking, she revealed that monitoring and satellite assessments show an 80 per cent survival rate for planted seedlings, alongside natural regeneration estimated at 300 million trees in the past three years.

With long rains approaching, the Ministry is urging Kenyans to plant at least 10 seedlings per month. Seedlings are currently retailing at approximately Sh15 each.

“We believe that if each forest station meets its target and Kenyans participate fully, we will achieve our one billion goal this year and remain on track with the 15 billion tree campaign,” Dr Barasa said.