Participants plant trees during the GPLC Africa 2024 Kenya National Tree Growing Campaign
The Chandaria Tree Nursery Project, funded by the Chandaria Foundation and implemented by the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Kenya, is advancing Kenya’s national goal of planting 15 billion trees by 2032. Working closely with the KCB Foundation as the main sponsor and supported by Global Peace Foundation Kenya through program coordination and monitoring, the initiative places young people and community service at the center of environmental restoration.
The project aims to strengthen youth participation, promote volunteerism, support social enterprise in conservation, and supply quality seedlings for national restoration efforts. This collaboration continues to expand its reach across counties and schools, creating models of excellence that combine environmental stewardship with leadership development.
In 2025, the program recorded significant progress. At Butere Girls High School, a tree nursery was established in partnership with Mama Doing Good under the leadership of First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto. The nursery, with a capacity of one hundred thousand seedlings annually, has positioned the school as a leading example of youth-driven climate action in Kakamega County.
Kenyans gather to celebrate Mazingira Day 2025.
Wareng High School launched its nursery in partnership with the SMACHS Foundation, founded by Charlene Ruto. The event was presided over by Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry. With the capacity to grow one hundred thousand seedlings annually in a balanced mix of fruit, indigenous, and exotic species, the launch contributed to the county’s record of twenty-eight million trees planted to date.
Kabuyefwe Primary School in Trans Nzoia County joined the model during Mazingira Day, overseen by Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa on behalf of President William Ruto. The school’s one hundred thousand seedling capacity is helping position students as leaders in the national tree growing campaign.
Participants plant trees during the GPLC Africa 2024 Kenya National Tree Growing Campaign
The program also integrates community livelihood improvement. In Kilifi County, Ribe Methodist Church set aside fifty acres to establish the Chandaria Forest, which now hosts more than thirty-five thousand indigenous trees. Support from Dr. Manu Chandaria and partners enabled the expansion of a beekeeping initiative from five to thirty-three hives. Local farmers received hives for both their forest and farm areas, generating more than 60,000 shillings from honey harvests and demonstrating how conservation can strengthen household resilience.
The President’s Fellowship and Chandaria Legacy Award continued to invest in youth leadership. One hundred twenty fellows participated in 2025, with eighty-seven graduating from the six-month training and community service program. Each graduate received seed capital from both the Chandaria Foundation and the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy, and Sports, reinforcing their commitment to environmental action. Community champions were also recognized through the Chandaria Legacy Award. Their initiatives include establishing tree nurseries, organizing clean-ups, empowering youth, and connecting climate action with social impact in communities across Kenya.
Kenya Military Officers Help Plant Trees
Lenana School remains a model site within the program and is listed alongside a growing number of nurseries established in counties such as Kilifi, Nairobi, Laikipia, Machakos, Elgeyo Marakwet, Busia, Nandi, Kiambu, Makueni, Taita Taveta, Marsabit, Trans Nzoia, Kakamega, and Uasin Gishu. Each nursery is installed at a cost of one million two hundred thousand shillings, reflecting the Chandaria Foundation and its partners’ continued commitment to scaling the initiative nationwide. For additional background on the foundation of this initiative, see the earlier report on the Chandaria Tree Nursery project.
