The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has prohibited the burning of vegetation adjacent to or within forest reserves due to the increasing rate of forest fires in the country.
In a statement on Thursday, February 27, KFS stated that individuals intending to burn vegetation near forests must provide a written notice to KFS or the police at least two days in advance for approval.
"Since January 2025, significant fires have been reported in Isiolo, Garissa, and coastal ecosystems. Notably, there has been an exponential increase in forest fire incidents over the past week," the statement read.
"KFS is actively collaborating with the Community Forest Association, the public, the Kenya Wildlife Service, national and county government agencies, other government agencies, and conservation partners in the ongoing fire suppression efforts," it added.
In the past two months, there has been a surge in forest fires across the country.
This year alone, KFS has recorded over 180 fire incidents across the country, which have resulted in the destruction of 1,357.97 hectares of vegetation within gazetted forests across the Mau, North Rift, Coast, Central Highlands, and Eastern Conservancies.
KFS's new directives come a day after a fire broke out in the Aberdare and Mt Kenya Forests, destroying several sections of the forests.
KWS Senior Assistant Director in the Mountain Conservation Area, Lucy Mwati, stated that several teams were working to contain the fire in the Embaringo section of the Aberdare Forest.
Rhino Ark, a non-governmental conservation group, also confirmed that it had deployed helicopters in collaboration with other partners to assist KWS and KFS officers.
"Three fires have affected the Aberdare ecosystem: two of them (Gatare and Central Moorlands) have been contained, but a third near Embaringo rages on," Rhino Ark stated.
"We are supporting efforts with rations and transport, with Tropic Air Kenya deploying helicopters to assist the firefighters," it added.
According to reports, this was the second recorded incident in less than a fortnight after a similar one occurred last week.
In response to the incidents, KFS has confirmed that it has installed smoke detection systems to monitor forest fires effectively in Mt Kenya, the Aberdares, and the Mau ecosystems.
The sudden rise in fire incidents this year, according to the service, is due to the current dry conditions, characterised by high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds.
Furthermore, the service has recalled all KFS staff on leave to bolster fire preparedness, in addition to deploying additional firefighting equipment, including 12 pick-up vehicles and six troop vehicles.
