Kenya has undergone reforms in this sectors for many years with it enacting Forest Act 2016 to repeal of the Forest Act 385, the enactment of the Forest Act, 2005 which established the Kenya Forest Service as a Semi-autonomous State Corporation in 2007 and the now newly formed Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2016 (FCM Act, 2016).
The main purpose of the new Act is to give effect to Article 69 of the Constitution of Kenya with regard to forest resources; provides for the development and sustainable management, including conservation and rational utilization of all forest resources for the socio-economic development of the country and other connected purposes.
The law protects our forests and ensure that sustainable forest management practices are followed across the country. This means that consumers can be confident that the forest and wood products they buy from and within Kenya were obtained legally and harvested under a system of sustainable forest management.
OAID Kenya, Ogiek People Development Program, Laiconar, Kwale County Natural Resources Network have been working along this sector to ensure the laws are implemented to the later and also they are working closely with relevant ministries to ensure new National Forest Policy developed in consultation with County Governments and relevant stakeholders.