GHG Inventory
Emissions, removals, activity data, emission factors and uncertainty.
Net Emissions
52.2 MtAverage net emissionst CO₂/yr, 2002–2018
835 MtTotal net emissions2002–2018
62.8 MtHighest epoch2002–2006
38.1 MtLowest epoch2006–2010
Net emissions fell slightly over the reference period, helped by less deforestation and degradation, more canopy improvement and more afforestation. The dip in 2006–2010 is within two standard deviations of the mean (30.8–84.2 Mt), so it is not an outlier.
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Net average 2002–2018: 52.2M t CO₂/yr
| Stratum | 2002–2006 | 2006–2010 | 2010–2014 | 2014–2018 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montane & western rain forests | 44,644,932 | 26,587,270 | 29,212,476 | 31,226,464 | 32,917,786 |
| Mangroves & coastal forests | 4,824,805 | 2,015,603 | 5,196,054 | 9,712,528 | 5,437,248 |
| Dryland forests | 10,631,166 | 7,666,989 | 14,132,878 | 12,239,340 | 11,167,593 |
| Public plantations | 2,732,682 | 1,829,312 | 1,887,435 | 4,276,302 | 2,681,433 |
| Total | 62,833,585 | 38,099,174 | 50,428,843 | 57,454,634 | 52,204,059 |
Net emissions by land category, 2001–2022 (NID 2024)
| Land category | Trend 2001–2022 | Main reason |
|---|---|---|
| Forest land | From 56 Gg CO₂-eq (2001) to 2,681 Gg (2022); a small net sink in 2008–2013, a growing source after 2014 | Emissions from forest remaining forest rose faster than removals from land converted to forest |
| Cropland | Rising; average 11,575 Gg CO₂-eq a year | Farming expanding into former grassland and forest to feed a growing population |
| Grassland | Rising to about 9,500 Gg; average 4,989 Gg CO₂-eq a year | Conversion of forest, cropland, wetland and other land to grassland; most from forest |
| Wetlands | About 450 Gg (2006–2010), 250 Gg (2014–2017), 75 Gg (2019–2021) | Conversion of grassland to wetland |
| Settlements | From 2006, rising to about 750 Gg in 2021–2022 | Grassland converted to settlements; faster urbanisation after devolution (2012) |
| Other land | Sporadic from 2014, up to about 820 Gg (2021) | Quarrying and road construction |
Why forest land turned from a sink into a source
- Forest reforms reduced illegal activity at first: the Forest Management and Conservation Act (2005, revised 2016) created KFS and entrenched participatory forest management with community forest associations, and the Mau Taskforce was set up in 2008.
- The 2018 moratorium on logging in public and community forests shifted deforestation to private land.
- From 2021, the National Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Strategy 2023–2032 and the 15 billion tree-growing initiative increased tree and forest cover that can be mapped by remote sensing.
No land-use change was assumed between 1990 and 2000, so the inventory reports land-sector emissions only from 2001.
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). Chapter 6.1.2 and 6.4.1, Figures 6-2 to 6-15.
Source: Ministry of Environment and Forestry, The National Forest Reference Level for REDD+ Implementation, December 2019 (Kenya’s FRL submission to the UNFCCC). Chapter 4.2.6.