Outcomes from KEFRI's work across Kenya
Detailed accounts of how KEFRI's species science, technical validation, and training have changed outcomes for restoration programmes, county governments, and communities.
Kitui County: From the highest tree mortality rate to the highest survival rate in Kenya's national restoration programme
In 2019, Kitui County had among the lowest tree survival rates in Kenya's national tree planting programme — many plantings used species poorly suited to the county's dryland conditions, and extension officers lacked technical training in dryland species selection. KEFRI's 5-year partnership with Kitui County Government, anchored by KEFRI's own Kitui Research Centre, transformed this outcome through species selection guidance, certified seed supply, and training of 120 county extension officers.
Mangrove restoration: from 35% to 78% propagule survival through tidal site correction
KEFRI Gede's review of a partner NGO's mangrove restoration sites found over half were planted in the wrong tidal zone. Site correction guidance improved survival dramatically across three restoration sites.
UNEP Great Green Wall Kenya: independent monitoring identifies and corrects underperforming sites early
KEFRI's independent monitoring of the 2M-hectare programme flagged three sites with poor establishment rates within the first growing season — enabling corrective replanting before the full season was lost.
Highland carbon project: KEFRI review corrects an over-estimated sequestration rate before VCS submission
KEFRI's technical review of a 12,000-hectare carbon project found the proposed sequestration rate exceeded published literature by 22%. Correction avoided a likely verification failure.
Melia volkensii certified seed reaches 8,400 smallholder farmers through county distribution partnership
KEFRI's certified seed stand in Kitui supplied the genetic basis for Makueni County's smallholder dryland timber programme, reaching thousands of farmers with improved, drought-tolerant planting stock.
Forest Carbon Project Design course produces Kenya's first cohort of locally-trained carbon project designers
KEFRI's online Forest Carbon Project Design certification has trained 68 Kenyan practitioners since 2023 — reducing reliance on international consultants for carbon project design work.
Wood Properties Database enables three Kenyan manufacturers to diversify into underutilised species
Access to KEFRI's wood properties data allowed three furniture manufacturers to substitute scarce, expensive species with mechanically equivalent alternatives — reducing input costs and easing pressure on over-harvested timber species.
The scale of KEFRI's reach in 2024
Indicative figures drawn from KEFRI's programme reporting. Full sourced figures are available in the Annual Report.
What partners and practitioners say
Direct accounts from the county officers, farmers, and programme managers who have worked with KEFRI.
Before KEFRI's species guidance, we were planting whatever seedlings the nursery had available — regardless of whether they suited our soil. Now every farmer in our group uses KEFRIApp before planting. Survival rates have transformed our cooperative's income from timber.
As a county forest officer, the technical assistance from KEFRI Kitui has been the difference between guessing and knowing. When I'm uncertain about a species recommendation, I call the centre directly and get an answer the same day, often with site-specific data behind it.
Getting KEFRI's endorsement for our restoration methodology changed our conversations with funders entirely. We stopped having to defend our science from scratch in every proposal — the credential did that work for us.
Read the complete picture in KEFRI's Annual Report
Every figure on this page, with full methodology, financial reporting, programme-by-programme breakdowns, and the institutional governance behind KEFRI's work — published annually and reviewed by the KEFRI Board.