The government has stopped a Chinese company from cutting down trees on the western side of the country and exporting them to their home country.
Appearing before the Senate on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa Mlongo admitted that the exercise was going on. She, however, informed the senators that the government had stopped the Chinese firm from cutting them down.
This was after Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka raised the issue on the floor of the Senate, lamenting over the practice. In his submission, Onyonka requested the CS to confirm whether the said firm was still felling trees and exporting them and what action her ministry had instituted to protect the tree cover in the region.
“There is a Chinese company that is cutting trees indiscriminately, packaging those trees into trucks, and shipping them off to China. I remember very clearly the president once came to Kisii and said, we don’t want to be exporting raw materials; we want, if there is anything that is to be done, let it be processed on site so that there is value addition,” Onyonka stated.
“I don’t know whether the CS is aware of this, and what is the strategy and the plan? he posed.
CS vows to give evidence
Responding to Onyonka’s question, CS Barasa told the senate that the firm had been stopped from felling trees in that part of the country.
She further promised to give the lawyers letters proving the government’s order.
“The concerns with the Chinese company it was happening, but that has been stopped. We can even share the letters showing evidence that none of that is going on at the moment,” CS Barasa affirmed.
She, however, did not disclose the company’s details, and when it was ordered to stop cutting and exporting trees. CS Barasa further did not explain who okayed their operations, and the number of trees they had harvested in the country.
Tree planting
On the issue of tree planting, CS Barasa insisted that it was on course following the launch of a mobile application to monitor the entire exercise.
She told the senators that the exercise was delegated to the counties to help President William Ruto hit the 15 billion target. Nonetheless, she promised to provide a detailed report on the initiative.
Weighing in on the matter, Nairobi Senator Edwin implored the CS to make all information public instead of waiting for Kenyans to raise concerns.