President William Ruto’s ambitious 15 billion tree-planting campaign, aimed at combating climate change and restoring Kenya’s degraded landscapes, has lost momentum amid claims of financial impropriety. Despite government reports celebrating the planting of 783 million trees, the initiative has fallen significantly short of its target.
Allegations of corruption and money laundering have cast a shadow over the program, with former high-ranking officials accusing the administration of using the environmental drive as a cover for financial misdeeds. Impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi have publicly questioned the integrity of the project.
Gachagua, in a statement made on April 7, claimed the tree planting campaign was a front for laundering money, asserting that President Ruto ceased public discussion on climate change after a controversial $1 billion deal failed to gain approval. The deal, which was to see the Environment Ministry receive funding directly from Russian oligarchs, was reportedly blocked by Muturi, then serving as Attorney General.
According to Muturi, Ruto pressured him during COP28 in Dubai to sign off on the agreement without due process. “I was told the Russians were waiting at the airport to finalize the deal,” Muturi said. He declined, citing the need to review the documents, and later argued that the proposed Sh129 billion grant could not legally bypass the National Treasury.
These revelations have sparked fresh concerns over transparency in the administration’s flagship climate policy. Critics argue that while the initiative aligned with Kenya’s climate obligations under the Paris Agreement, the execution lacked accountability.
President Ruto had previously portrayed the program as a youth-led, transformative movement, even declaring a national Tree Planting holiday in November 2023. However, with internal dissent and mounting controversy, the campaign’s credibility has suffered a major blow.
As questions linger about the halted deal and the actual number of trees planted, environmentalists and citizens alike are calling for a thorough audit of the initiative to determine whether the trees and the money have truly taken root.
