Satellite Land Monitoring System (SLMS)
National forest cover, forest types, land cover and the satellite data and methods behind them.
Land Cover Statistics
| IPCC land category | 2002 | 2006 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest land | 6.2% | 5.6% | 6.6% | 6.1% | 5.8% |
| Grassland | 71.7% | 70.2% | 69.4% | 69.6% | 69.7% |
| Cropland | 8.9% | 10.3% | 10.2% | 10.5% | 11.4% |
| Wetland | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% |
| Settlement & other land | 11.1% | 11.8% | 11.7% | 11.7% | 10.9% |
Grassland covers about 70% of Kenya and cropland is expanding (8.9% to 11.4%), largely at the expense of grassland and forest. Detailed areas by class are under Forest Cover Mapping › Historical Forest Cover.
Area of each land category (NID 2024)
| Land category | 2005 | 2010 | 2017 | 2021 | Share 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest land | 3,114,192 | 3,110,881 | 3,384,621 | 3,509,430 | 5.9% |
| Cropland | 7,399,081 | 7,645,517 | 7,852,758 | 7,734,222 | 13.1% |
| Grassland | 43,510,191 | 43,022,359 | 43,333,877 | 43,527,711 | 73.5% |
| Wetland | 605,076 | 840,208 | 933,317 | 717,943 | 1.2% |
| Settlement | 351,517 | 361,093 | 357,916 | 431,918 | 0.7% |
| Other land | 4,223,731 | 4,223,731 | 3,341,299 | 3,282,564 | 5.5% |
Forest land rose from about 3.11 million ha (5.3% of the land) in 2005–2010 to about 3.51 million ha (5.9%) in 2021, in line with the 5.9% forest cover of the 2020 Forest Reference Level.
2021 assessment (WorldView): land use by county
Compare counties: share of each land use (click a row)
| County | Forest land | Cropland | Grassland | Wetland | Settlements | Other land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baringo | 6.0% | 8.8% | 80.8% | 3.1% | 0.1% | 1.3% |
| Bomet | 24.1% | 65.8% | 4.0% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 5.4% |
| Bungoma | 15.5% | 64.9% | 10.8% | 7.3% | 1.4% | 0.1% |
| Busia | 0.6% | 61.1% | 8.2% | 26.0% | 1.4% | 2.7% |
| Elgeyo-Marakwet | 20.4% | 29.9% | 47.0% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 1.5% |
| Embu | 11.3% | 53.4% | 30.5% | 3.1% | 0.7% | 1.1% |
| Garissa | 11.2% | 0.0% | 87.5% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Homa Bay | 3.2% | 48.6% | 12.4% | 34.6% | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Isiolo | 5.2% | 0.0% | 93.1% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 1.5% |
| Kajiado | 6.5% | 1.9% | 82.5% | 6.0% | 0.4% | 2.6% |
| Kakamega | 6.9% | 79.6% | 5.4% | 3.9% | 1.7% | 2.4% |
| Kericho | 20.4% | 61.8% | 13.2% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 3.5% |
| Kiambu | 18.1% | 51.4% | 21.1% | 0.3% | 7.0% | 2.1% |
| Kilifi | 22.2% | 11.4% | 59.4% | 1.7% | 0.4% | 4.9% |
| Kirinyaga | 23.4% | 62.6% | 9.9% | 0.2% | 1.6% | 2.3% |
| Kisii | 15.0% | 77.9% | 2.1% | 0.3% | 3.4% | 1.4% |
| Kisumu | 1.5% | 66.2% | 2.4% | 25.2% | 3.7% | 0.9% |
| Kitui | 15.6% | 19.7% | 62.6% | 1.8% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Kwale | 4.5% | 30.7% | 60.9% | 2.2% | 0.2% | 1.4% |
| Laikipia | 9.8% | 8.1% | 78.2% | 2.2% | 0.2% | 1.5% |
| Lamu | 32.1% | 3.9% | 55.3% | 2.7% | 0.1% | 5.9% |
| Machakos | 2.6% | 57.9% | 33.6% | 1.7% | 1.6% | 2.6% |
| Makueni | 5.3% | 49.5% | 43.8% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| Mandera | 8.1% | 0.0% | 85.9% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 5.8% |
| Marsabit | 1.5% | 0.1% | 86.3% | 6.9% | 0.0% | 5.2% |
| Meru | 12.6% | 36.8% | 45.4% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 3.8% |
| Migori | 0.3% | 69.7% | 8.8% | 19.3% | 1.0% | 0.8% |
| Mombasa | 19.1% | 31.2% | 13.5% | 1.0% | 32.9% | 2.3% |
| Murang'a | 16.4% | 56.4% | 21.0% | 0.7% | 1.5% | 3.9% |
| Nairobi | 13.6% | 8.2% | 32.1% | 0.8% | 39.0% | 6.3% |
| Nakuru | 10.6% | 52.2% | 31.1% | 3.6% | 1.9% | 0.6% |
| Nandi | 16.6% | 69.7% | 9.2% | 3.1% | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Narok | 13.9% | 30.3% | 55.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Nyamira | 11.8% | 79.4% | 3.3% | 1.4% | 2.6% | 1.5% |
| Nyandarua | 26.0% | 58.7% | 10.8% | 1.7% | 0.7% | 2.1% |
| Nyeri | 40.6% | 38.2% | 17.2% | 0.1% | 1.1% | 2.9% |
| Samburu | 23.1% | 0.2% | 62.4% | 0.9% | 0.0% | 13.4% |
| Siaya | 0.3% | 51.1% | 13.9% | 31.6% | 0.8% | 2.2% |
| Taita Taveta | 3.4% | 2.0% | 93.3% | 1.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Tana River | 9.9% | 0.4% | 89.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Tharaka-Nithi | 18.1% | 50.6% | 29.6% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Trans Nzoia | 13.1% | 68.8% | 11.9% | 4.5% | 1.2% | 0.5% |
| Turkana | 8.6% | 0.0% | 57.7% | 4.5% | 0.0% | 29.1% |
| Uasin Gishu | 6.7% | 71.5% | 6.7% | 8.8% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Vihiga | 11.0% | 75.6% | 7.3% | 0.9% | 3.4% | 1.7% |
| Wajir | 0.3% | 0.0% | 97.2% | 1.2% | 0.0% | 1.3% |
| West Pokot | 8.8% | 5.0% | 84.9% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.5% |
2021 assessment classes from WorldView imagery. The national GHG inventory uses a different method (sample-based, Landsat); its land figures are under Land Cover Change.
Source: 2021 National Forest Resources Assessment, Kenya Forest Service (WorldView very high-resolution imagery).
Source: Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Kenya's Third National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Document 1990–2022, December 2024 (Kenya’s national inventory report to the UNFCCC). Figure 6-6.
Source: Ministry of Environment and Forestry, The National Forest Reference Level for REDD+ Implementation, December 2019 (Kenya’s FRL submission to the UNFCCC). Chapter 3.1.2, Table 2.