Kenya confronts escalating forest loss amid Sambret Forest and Nairobi tree felling

A Kenyan Catholic bishop has warned that the destruction of the protected Sambret Forest is both an ecological and moral crisis, quoting Laudato si that “the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor.” He urged President William Ruto to issue firm directives to halt political support for encroachment, calling the damage “a direct assault on the livelihoods of our local communities, our future generation's survival, and the common good.”

In Nairobi, the cutting of mature trees has sparked public outrage. Governor Johnson Sakaja cautioned state agencies against felling trees without county approval, while the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) denied responsibility, placing the blame on the Nairobi County government for the actual removals. Conservationists warn that the capital’s green cover is rapidly diminishing in the name of development.