President William Ruto has announced a nationwide ban on furniture imports and lifted the long-standing logging moratorium in the Mau Forest Complex, in a move aimed at revitalizing Kenya’s wood and furniture manufacturing industries.
Speaking in Elburgon, Molo, on Monday, October 27, President Ruto said the country has sufficient raw materials to sustain its own furniture production without relying on imports from countries like China.
“We shall reopen this timber factory here in Elburgon because I have told my Minister of Trade, Lee Kinyanjui, that this tendency of importing furniture, seats, and beds from China must end,” Ruto stated. “Furniture to be used in Kenya will be made from our own timber by our youth.”
The President emphasized that only mature trees will be harvested, adding that the government is committed to balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability.
He directed the Trade Cabinet Secretary to implement the directive immediately and ensure the revival of sawmills and timber processing factories that had been shut down following the logging ban.
Ruto said the government will begin selling mature trees from all state forests to local sawmillers starting next week, a move expected to spur local enterprise and create thousands of jobs for youth.
“We will start selling mature trees in our forests to local sawmillers from next week. Tomorrow, I will hold discussions with sawmillers here to revive the wood-processing factory that once operated in this area,” he said.
The President also pledged that his administration would spearhead a reforestation drive to plant 15 billion trees in the next decade, ensuring Kenya’s forests remain sustainable even as the timber sector reopens.
“This is not about destroying our forests it’s about managing them responsibly to create jobs, grow our economy, and preserve the environment,” he said.
The reopening of the Mau Forest for controlled logging marks a significant policy shift after years of restrictions that had crippled the local timber industry, especially in areas like Molo and Elburgon where many residents depend on lumber for their livelihoods.
Analysts say the move could boost Kenya’s manufacturing capacity, reduce import dependency, and open up new opportunities for small-scale traders and artisans in the furniture sector if implemented with strict environmental oversight.
