NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 6 – Kenya has launched the 2026 Mazingira Week with a national call for citizens, institutions and communities to take practical action to restore the environment and expand the country’s tree cover.

Mazingira Week runs from Monday, October 5 to Saturday, October 10, when the country will mark National Mazingira Day. This year’s celebrations are being held under the theme, “Our Environment, Our Responsibility: Collective Action for Tree Growing and Environmental Stewardship.”

Speaking during a press briefing, Government Spokesperson Charles Owino said the annual event should go beyond symbolism and become a platform for practical environmental conservation.

He said National Mazingira Day is “not simply a day on the calendar” but a national call for Kenyans to deliberately mobilise and take practical environmental action in their homes, communities, institutions and workplaces.The Government says the week will target the planting of 17.24 million trees through seven planting streams. The initiative forms part of Kenya’s wider ambition to grow 15 billion trees by 2032.

The tree-growing drive will involve a wide range of institutions and communities. More than 51,000 community planters are expected to participate at 79 sites in 31 counties, while village elders will plant 100 trees in each of the 77,252 villages across the country.

The Kenya Prisons Service will plant one million trees in 68 facilities, while the National Youth Service will contribute 1.5 million trees. Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions and basic education institutions are also expected to participate.

The Government says the campaign will also focus on ensuring that trees planted survive. Every tree will be counted, geo-tagged and certified, with digital tools such as the JazaMiti platform being used for geo-tagging and real-time counting.

Owino urged Kenyans to take personal responsibility for environmental protection, listing tree planting, protecting existing forests, cleaning neighbourhoods and public spaces, restoring degraded areas, protecting rivers and wetlands and disposing of waste responsibly among the actions citizens can take.

He also challenged Kenyans to mobilise others to participate.“Kenyans, don’t just talk about the environment: do something for it!” he said.

The national celebrations will be held in Trans Nzoia County, with the Presidential Green Challenge and national tree-growing ceremony set to begin at Konoin Primary School in Shikhendu before proceeding to Kenya Seed Company Elgon Downs Farm in Endebess.

Environment Cabinet Secretary Dr Deborah M. Barasa said environmental restoration is central to Kenya’s development and called on citizens to participate fully in Mazingira Week and National Mazingira Day.

“Our environment is our responsibility. Together, let us grow it, protect it and pass it on better than we found it,” she said.