The Kijabe Forest Trust

The Kijabe Forest Trust Kijabe Forest is unique + full of diversity: Let’s Conserve Restore Rebuild for Community + Planet!

To the northwest of Nairobi, lies the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley. This escarpment was once covered in thick forest and has, for centuries, provided water and other valuable services for the communities of the area. In recent history, this forest was connected, in a contiguous belt that ran from Nairobi in the south, to the Aberdares in the northeast and to the escarpment in the west. Much

of the area lies in a gazetted forest area known as the Kikuyu Escarpment Forest Reserve. Historically, this connected the dry forests of the eastern Rift Valley escarpment with the moist, more humid, upland forests of the southern Aberdares massif. However, that connectivity is largely fragmented now, with the Kijabe Forest “Strip” being the last prominent example of dry upland forest along the escarpment. Unfortunately, the Kijabe Forest Strip is under extreme pressure from illegal activities, with wholesale extraction of resources threatening the very existence of communities, and the water, soil and forest on which they depend. A key illustration of this catastrophic potential is the recent landslides in the Kijabe and Matathia areas which resulted in the loss of life and property. It is of primary importance that the forest, and the valuable ecosystem services that it provides, be protected and conserved, in order to ensure the foundation of development in the area. The trust was formed under endorsement by the local community in 2013, and is governed by a Board of Trustees, each with a link with the forest area. As a Trust, we believe that the degradation and deforestation can not only be halted, but that sustainable, natural resource management can provide jobs and livelihoods that in turn protect the forest for future generations.

🌳Most of us walk through a forest and see trees.Our KFT rangers see something else too: the hidden threats that wildlife...
03/06/2026

🌳Most of us walk through a forest and see trees.

Our KFT rangers see something else too: the hidden threats that wildlife face every day.

During recent patrols, Kijabe Forest Trust teams removed 11 snares from the forest. While small in number, each snare represents a potential tragedy for wildlife.

Snares are indiscriminate. They do not choose what they catch. Any animal moving through the forest can become trapped, often suffering severe injuries or death.

Removing snares is one of the many ways our patrol teams help protect the biodiversity of Kijabe Forest. It is quiet work, often unseen, but it makes a real difference.

Every patrol. Every snare removed. Every animal protected.

Together, these actions help keep Kijabe Forest a safe home for wildlife and a healthy ecosystem for future generations.

🌿Have you ever seen evidence of conservation work happening behind the scenes?
Tell us in the comments👇

📸 KFT Rangers
📍 Kijabe Forest, Kenya
. .

.ark

🌳 From eggs to chicks🐥Every life begins somewhere!In the forests around Kijabe, birds rely on healthy habitats to nest, ...
01/06/2026

🌳 From eggs to chicks🐥

Every life begins somewhere!

In the forests around Kijabe, birds rely on healthy habitats to nest, breed, and raise their young. When forests are protected, these small but vital moments can continue, from carefully hidden eggs to the first days of a chick’s life.

Conservation isn’t only about protecting mature trees or iconic wildlife. It’s about safeguarding the countless connections that allow life to flourish, generation after generation.

By protecting and restoring forest habitat, we help create a future where these stories can continue.

Every chick is a reminder that conservation begins with protecting the places wildlife calls home 🌳

📸 KFT Rangers
📍 Kijabe Forest, Kenya
. .

.ark

21/05/2026

🌳Every patrol reveals another reason to protect this forest🌿

Recently, Kijabe Forest Trust rangers came across a Slug-eater snake (Duberria lutrix) quietly moving through the forest undergrowth🐍 … a gentle reminder that healthy forests are full of life, even in the places we rarely stop to notice.

This harmless snake plays an important role in the ecosystem by feeding on slugs and snails, helping maintain balance within the forest floor.

Protecting forests means protecting entire worlds of interconnected life, from towering trees to the small, hidden species that quietly keep ecosystems thriving.

Every patrol matters. Every species matters🌿

🙏🏾Thank you for being with us💚

🎥 KFT rangers
📍Kijabe Forest, Kenya
. .


.ark

🌳 Every snare removed …is a life given back to the forest 🦌Yesterday, the KFT patrol team found and removed 11 wire snar...
19/05/2026

🌳 Every snare removed …
is a life given back to the forest 🦌

Yesterday, the KFT patrol team found and removed 11 wire snares hidden inside Kijabe Forest.

Silent traps. Set without warning.
Capable of injuring or killing wildlife in slow and painful ways.

This is what our KFT protection looks like.

Step by step. Patrol by patrol. People choosing to stand between destruction and life.

Forests do not protect themselves. They survive because people care enough to walk them, watch over them, and act. We are here doing just that.

11 snares removed.
Countless lives still moving safely through the forest tonight.

🙏🏾 Thank you for being with us 🌍

🎥 KFT rangers
📍Kijabe Forest, Kenya
. .


.ark

17/05/2026

🌳One forest. Thousands of lives 🦅🪲🦌🌳🐒

Kijabe Forest is home to an incredible web of life - from birds and insects to towering trees, mammals, fungi, and the countless unseen connections that keep an ecosystem alive.

Forests like this quietly protect biodiversity, store carbon, safeguard water sources, cool our climate, and provide refuge for wildlife.

But they only survive if people choose to protect them.

Every seedling planted, every hectare restored, and every person who cares helps shape the future of this forest.

🙏🏾Help us keep Kijabe Forest alive for generations to come
— donate or get involved today!! 💚

• Mpesa Till Number 945996
• Paypal or credit /denit card: bit.ly/3Qqbv3P
• Visit www.kijabeforest.org

🎥 KFT rangers
📍Kijabe Forest, Kenya
. .

.ark

🌳We can’t get enough of planting! And trees like this remind us why. Yesterday, the Kijabe Forest Trust rangers planted ...
12/05/2026

🌳We can’t get enough of planting! And trees like this remind us why.

Yesterday, the Kijabe Forest Trust rangers planted 532 indigenous seedlings across the forest 🌱

Every seedling matters.
Not just for today, but for the generations who will one day walk beneath their shade, hear birdsong in their branches, and breathe cleaner air because someone chose to plant a tree.

📸 And then there are trees like this!

Twisting. Spiralling. Growing slowly over decades into shapes that almost feel impossible.

What you’re seeing here is likely a woody forest vine, known as a liana, winding itself around a larger tree as it climbs toward the light. Over time, the vine thickens and becomes part of the forest’s architecture itself.

It’s a quiet reminder that forests are built through connection. Nothing grows alone.

The more time we spend in forests, the more we realise they are not just collections of trees. They are living systems filled with resilience, shelter, water, memory, and life.

Thank you to the KFT rangers working day after day to help protect and restore Kijabe Forest 💚

What’s the most unforgettable tree you’ve ever seen? 🌿

📷 KFT Rangers
📍 Kijabe Forest, Kenya
. .


.ark

🌳 Protection and Restoration — hand in hand. During KFT routine patrols this week, ranger teams discovered four cedar tr...
07/05/2026

🌳 Protection and Restoration — hand in hand.

During KFT routine patrols this week, ranger teams discovered four cedar tree rafters had been illegally cut and removed from the forest.

It may seem small to some.
Just four trees.
“Just timber”.

But forests disappear quietly, one cut at a time.

And yet restoration work continues quietly.

Yesterday, Kijabe Forest Trust rangers planted 450 tree seedlings along the Tongi Tongi River in Old Kijabe — a reminder that while some take from the forest, others are working every day to bring it back 🌱

Earlier this week, KFT rangers also planted 372 seedlings on Monday and 340 on Tuesday as restoration efforts continue across the landscape.

Protection is often unseen work.
Early mornings. Long walks. Mud, rain, dust, and persistence.

Thank you to the Kijabe Forest Trust patrol teams and rangers who continue standing for this forest every single day🙏🏾

Because a living forest is worth defending!! 🌿

📸 KFT Rangers
📍 Kijabe Forest, Kenya
. .

.ark

🌳Not everything we protect is still standing.This cedar had already fallen, but even on the ground it can be cut into po...
25/04/2026

🌳Not everything we protect is still standing.

This cedar had already fallen, but even on the ground it can be cut into posts and taken out piece by piece.

Yesterday our rangers came across a man trying to cut this cedar. He ran when he saw them.
Our rangers cut the posts down and left nothing usable behind.

Why does this matter?

If wood like this leaves the forest, it doesn’t stop at one tree.
It opens the door to more cutting, more pressure, and a slow loss that adds up over time.
What looks small in a moment becomes much bigger across a landscape.

It’s not dramatic work, just showing up, paying attention, and stopping things before they go further.

Thank you to our KFT Rangers who show up every day🙏🏾

Support our work ✨
Share our story 🌳
Let’s protect what we have left 💚

📸 KFT Rangers
📍 Kijabe Forest, Kenya
. .



.ark

22/04/2026

🌍 Earth Day

Restoration doesn’t always look like much at first.

Here in Kijabe Forest, it’s already happening — quietly, consistently.

Together with OGO-Law Advocates, we planted
25,000 seedlings to restore areas damaged by fire.

This work is not just about trees,
but the return of habitat, of shade
… of life.

Forests don’t recover overnight.
They recover because people show up, over and over.

This is what Earth Day looks like on the ground.

🌱 One seedling at a time
🌍 One forest at a time

What role will you play?

💚 Join the movement
Support the work, share it, or get involved where you are. Every action counts.

✨ Want to support KFT?

• Mpesa Till Number: 945996
• Paypal / card: bit.ly/3Qqbv3P
• www.kijabeforest.org

~ Thank you 🙏🏾

📸 KFT rangers
📍 Kijabe Forest . .


.ark

🌳 10 young cedar trees.Cut just 150 metres from a protection camp.Cedar is one of the most valuable indigenous trees in ...
19/04/2026

🌳 10 young cedar trees.
Cut just 150 metres from a protection camp.

Cedar is one of the most valuable indigenous trees in Kenya.
Slow-growing. Deep-rooted. Essential to the structure of this forest.

And that’s exactly why it’s targeted.

Kijabe Forest sits within Kenya’s critical water tower system —
a living landscape that captures, stores, and releases water to thousands downstream.

Every tree here plays a role. They hold soil. They feed rivers.
They stabilise a system far bigger than what we see.

But pressure on forests like this is constant.

Cedar is highly sought after for timber, fencing, and construction. And when access points are close, even protected forests are vulnerable.

What was found here is not just 10 trees. It’s a signal.

Small cuts add up.

One tree becomes ten. Ten becomes a clearing. And slowly, quietly, the forest begins to thin. Water systems weaken. Soil loosens. Biodiversity disappears.

This is why ranger presence matters!

Kijabe Forest Trust rangers patrol daily, often unseen.
To protect what cannot protect itself.

Their work is not just about stopping illegal activity.
It’s about holding the line for an entire ecosystem.

Our rangers work alongside Kenya Forest Service at the scene.
Investigations for these cedar cuts are underway.

Protecting a forest is not a single action. It’s consistency. Presence. And the refusal to look away.

Kijabe Forest is still standing because people are watching,
and choosing to act.

Support our work!🙏🏾
Share our story🌳
Let’s protect what we have left 💚

📍 Kijabe Forest
📸 KFT Rangers and
. .



.ark

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Kijabe
POBOX102-00220KIJABE,

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