Kenya is seeking tighter controls on charcoal trade, activities in public forests and the destruction of wetlands through seven proposed environmental regulations now under parliamentary scrutiny.
The draft rules cover areas that affect forest conservation, the use of natural resources and the country’s efforts to address climate change.
Among the proposals are regulations on charcoal production and trade, public forest concessions, wetlands conservation and sustainable forest management. If adopted, they would provide a framework for guiding how these resources are used and protected.
The proposed Wetlands Regulations, 2025, seek to protect and restore wetlands through management plans, pollution control and restrictions on activities that could damage the ecosystems.
Wetlands are among the areas targeted by the draft rules because of the need to control activities that degrade them. The proposals would guide how such areas are managed and conserved.
The charcoal regulations, meanwhile, seek to establish rules for charcoal production and trade, while the proposed regulations on public forest concessions would guide the use and management of forests under public ownership.
The proposals also include rules on public participation in sustainable forest management, bringing participation into the framework for managing forest resources.
On climate change, the draft Carbon Trading Regulations, 2026, seek to regulate carbon markets and align carbon trading with Kenya’s emissions reduction targets. The proposed National Carbon Registry Regulations would provide a system for tracking carbon projects, credits and transactions.
Forestry Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi presented the seven draft regulations to the Committee on Delegated Legislation, chaired by Ainabkoi MP Samuel Chepkonga, in Naivasha.
The committee’s scrutiny is part of the process before the draft legal instruments are published and considered further.
The proposals cover regulations under the Environmental Management and Coordination Act, the Climate Change Act and the Forest Conservation and Management Act.
Their eventual impact will depend on the final rules and how they are implemented, including how forest resources, charcoal trade, wetlands and carbon projects are regulated.