Partners

Kenya Watershed Services Improvement Project (KEWASIP) is a five-year initiative implemented by the State Department for Forestry in collaboration with the World Bank. It contributes to this national vision by restoring degraded landscapes and improving watershed services to strengthen climate change resilience and enhance livelihoods within Kenya’s watersheds. The project focuses on strengthening the management and conservation of watershed services, promoting sustainable land use practices, and improving the livelihoods of communities that depend on these ecosystems.

15 billion Tree Growing Programme: It coordinates the "whole-of-government" mission to restore 10.6 million hectares and achieve 30% tree cover by 2032. It allocates specific restoration zones to other ministries and provides the national monitoring framework to track progress.

State Department for Environment & Climate change: It handles broader environment, climate change, waste management, and pollution control. It compliments State Department for Forestry work in policies, and specific activities in the day-to-day operations.

Kenya Forest Service (KFS): The SDF provides the legislative and policy framework within which KFS operates. KFS is responsible for the physical management, conservation, and protection of public forests. SDF oversees its performance and mobilizes resources for its operations.

Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI): The SDF sets the national research agenda that KEFRI executes. KEFRI conducts scientific research and develops technologies (such as seed production) to support the department's goals, like the 15 billion Tree Growing Campaign.

Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI): It conducts research and conservation of coastal and aquatic forest ecosystems mostly mangrove forests. The connection is primarily collaborative and focused on the conservation of mangroves forest ecosystems. 

United Nation Development Program (UNDP): SDF partners with the UNDP to domesticate multilateral environmental agreements and formulate policies on sustainable development. The current projects include Forestry and Land Restoration Action (FLaRAK) and REDD+ Readiness, which focus on carbon monitoring and climate finance.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA): The SDF provides the administrative framework for JICA's long-term technical cooperation, such as the SFS-CORECC project (2022–2027). This partnership focuses on breeding drought-tolerant tree species and strengthening the capacity of central and local governments in sustainable forest management.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): SDF partners with IUCN in policy development, project development and implementation. SDF coordinates inclusive governance and community-led restoration in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).

World Resources Institute (WRI): SDF partners with WRI primarily on geospatial monitoring and forest landscape restoration (FLR) data to track progress toward national tree cover targets.

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF): SDF provides the legislative environment for WWF-Kenya to champion sustainable natural resource conservation and management. They partner on policy advocacy, public participation frameworks, and specific restoration efforts in critical water towers.

Nature Kenya: As the official liaison for the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. SDF partners with Nature Kenya in protecting Key Biodiversity Areas and promoting community livelihoods. 

World Vision: The SDF coordinates with World Vision on community-based agroforestry and school-greening programs. World Vision often implements the field-level seedling distribution and training that aligns with the broader mandate for socioeconomic transformation through forestry.

One Acre Fund: SDF partners on regulatory framework and support for large-scale private sector restoration which supports smallholder farmers in planting millions of trees to boost livelihoods and climate resilience.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): The SDF collaborates with FAO Kenya on large-scale environmental programs, such as the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100). SDF provides a political and regulatory environment, while FAO provides technical expertise and funding for community-based restoration and forest monitoring.

Gatsby Africa: SDF facilitates Gatsby Africa’s involvement in commercial forestry. This includes hosting delegations to study international best practices and working together on frameworks for inclusive forest concessions and geospatial monitoring tools. 

Safaricom: Safaricom and Kenya Forest Service (KFS), under the State Department for Forestry, have a "Tree-Growing Collaboration Framework" aiming to grow 5 million trees in degraded public forests by 2025/2030. Further, Safaricom partners with SDF in different activity including restoration activities, policy development and community intervention projects.

World Agroforestry (ICRAF): SDF partners with CIFOR-ICRAF to integrate scientific research into national policy and strategies.

Rockefeller Foundation: SDF engages with the Rockefeller Foundation to align forestry with food security. This collaboration focuses on regenerative agriculture, climate-smart school meals, and establishing "school farms" to teach sustainability to the next generation.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC): SDF partners, develops, facilitates high-level agreements for community-led conservation initiatives.

Conservation International (CI): SDF is the government liaison for GEF-funded (Global Environment Facility) projects implemented by CI. It coordinates CI's technical support for carbon policies and initiatives to reduce human-wildlife conflict in forest-adjacent communities.