Republic of KenyaKenya Forest ServiceKenya NFMS-FIPNational Forest Monitoring System – Forest Information PlatformHealthy Forests • Resilient Ecosystems • People and Nature • Data for Action

Mangroves

Kenya's mangrove forests: extent, condition and restoration.

Open Mangroves

Mangrove Extent

Mangrove forests grow in creeks, sheltered bays, lagoons and river deltas along Kenya's 600 km coastline. They cover 61,271 ha (National Mangrove Ecosystem Management Plan 2017–2027): about 3% of Kenya's natural forest and less than 1% of its land. They have been reserve forests since 1932 (Proclamation No. 44), confirmed by Legal Notice No. 174 of 1964.

Mangrove area and degraded mangrove by county (National Mangrove Ecosystem Restoration Guidelines 2025, Tables 1 and 4)
61,271 haMangrove forestAlong 600 km of coast; under 1% of Kenya's land
24,584 haDegraded40% of the mangrove area
61%In Lamu County37,350 ha
US$ 85 MValue of services each yearWood, fisheries, coastal protection, carbon
Lamu
37,350 ha39% degraded
Kilifi
8,536 ha40% degraded
Kwale
8,354 ha45% degraded
Mombasa
3,771 ha49% degraded
Tana River
3,260 ha36% degraded
Mangrove in good conditionDegraded mangrove

Peri-urban mangroves in Mombasa (Tudor, Makupa) are the most affected. Main drivers: illegal cutting, sedimentation and siltation, conversion (for example to salt pans), pollution, coastal development and climate change.

The nine mangrove species of Kenya and their uses (Table 2)
Rhizophora mucronataMkokoPoles, firewood, charcoal
Ceriops tagalMkandaaPoles, firewood
Avicennia marinaMchu / MtuFirewood, fencing, dug-out canoes
Bruguiera gymnorrhizaMuia / MsinziPoles, firewood
Sonneratia albaMlilanaFirewood, boat masts, net floats
Xylocarpus granatumMkomafiPoles, firewood, carving
Xylocarpus moluccensisMkomafi dumeFirewood, fencing
Heritiera littoralisMsikundaziPoles, boat masts
Lumnitzera racemosaKikandaaFirewood, ribs for boats

Rhizophora mucronata (Mkoko) and Ceriops tagal (Mkandaa), highlighted, make up more than 80% of Kenya's mangrove stands. From the sea inland the usual zonation is Sonneratia alba, Rhizophora, Ceriops and Bruguiera, then Avicennia and Xylocarpus.

Mangrove forest types

Table 3. Mangrove trees in Kenya rarely exceed 15 m, but reach over 30 m at creek edges.
TypeWhere it occurs
FringingGentle coastline that is frequently flooded by tides
RiverineEdges of major rivers, influenced by fresh water
BasinBehind fringing and riverine mangroves, with no direct link to the ocean
Over-washIsolated intertidal stands on the seaward side, such as Sonneratia alba
Dwarf or stuntedAreas reached only by the highest tides, flooded a few days a month
HammockLike basin mangroves, but on accumulated mangrove peat

Source: Government of Kenya (2025), National Mangrove Ecosystem Restoration Guidelines, Kenya Forest Service.