Frontier Correspondent
Nakuru, Kenya.
President William Ruto has lifted Kenya’s nationwide logging ban, authorizing the harvesting of mature trees only in an effort to revive the local furniture industry and curb timber waste.
Speaking on Monday at Molo Technical and Vocational College in Elburgon, Molo Constituency, Nakuru County, the President said the decision is part of a broader plan to unlock the economic potential of the forestry sector.
“We shall reopen the timber factories here in Elburgon. I have told my Minister of Trade, Mr. Lee Kinyanjui, that importing furniture from China must end. We will use our own wood to make furniture,” Ruto declared.
He directed government agencies to begin the controlled sale of mature trees from national forests to licensed local sawmillers, with a priority on supplying timber for Kenya’s affordable housing projects.
“Furniture in Kenya will use timber from here, and our Kenyan youth will make that furniture,” he added.
The President, however, cautioned against misuse of the directive, stressing that the partial lifting of the ban should not be interpreted as approval for reckless deforestation.
“This should not be misused as a license to engage in wanton destruction of forests,” he warned.
Ruto said he will meet with regional sawmillers on Tuesday to develop clear guidelines for sustainable and responsible logging practices.
The move comes after years of a strict moratorium on logging aimed at curbing environmental degradation. The new policy, Ruto emphasized, targets only mature trees to balance economic revival with ecological conservation, creating jobs in timber processing and boosting local manufacturing capacity.