Nyeri tops Kenya for forest density amid conservation and afforestation drives

Nyeri County has Kenya’s highest forest cover relative to its size, with trees covering 45.76 percent of its territory in 2024, according to new data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). Lamu ranked second at 41.76 percent, followed by Elgeyo Marakwet at 31.37 percent. The figures point to gains from public-private conservation efforts and afforestation campaigns, especially in the Mt Kenya and Aberdare range catchments.