By Eddah Waithaka
Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Dr. Deborah M. Barasa, today launched the historic Kenya National Bamboo Development Strategy and Action Plan (2025–2035), declaring a new era for the crop as a central driver of the nation’s green economy.
Dr. Barasa unveiled the ambitious framework during World Bamboo Day celebrations in Kericho County, under the theme “Bamboo for the People, Planet Earth and Climate Resilience.”
She stated the strategy finally provides the coordinated roadmap to transform bamboo from a marginal plant into a multi-billion shilling industry that will create jobs, combat climate change, and support national development goals.
“This year’s World Bamboo Day is not just another commemoration. It is the moment Kenya transitions bamboo from potential to performance,” Dr. Barasa told attendees. The strategy builds upon significant recent progress.
In 2020, the government gazetted bamboo as a scheduled cash crop, laying the legal groundwork for its commercialization.
Since then, private companies like Green Pot Enterprises and community groups have expanded plantations, while artisans and SMEs, supported by the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), now produce furniture, crafts, and construction materials.
The new plan sets bold, concrete objectives. It aims to expand bamboo cultivation to 150,000 hectares across forests, farms, and riparian zones.
It pledges to establish a National Centre of Excellence and 20 county incubation hubs for innovation. Most significantly, the strategy targets the creation of 750,000 green jobs and seeks to mobilize KES 15 billion to drive commercialization and tap into carbon credit markets.
Dr. Barasa positioned bamboo as a critical pillar for achieving Kenya’s broader national visions, including the 15-billion tree growing program, the push for 30% tree cover by 2032, and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
“By embracing this Strategy,” she said, “we will unlock livelihoods, restore degraded lands, create climate solutions, and establish Kenya as a regional leader in the bamboo value chain.”
