Institutional Governance
KFS mandate, NFMS-FIP governance, roles, coordination and reporting arrangements.
NFMS-FIP Governance Structure
The NFMS-FIP is governed through Kenya's REDD+ institutions. The State Department for Forestry gives policy direction; the National REDD+ Advisory Board gives strategic oversight; the REDD+ Coordination Unit and its three Technical Working Groups coordinate and review; and the NFMS/FIP Secretariat at the Kenya Forest Service runs the platform with the implementing institutions.
NFMS/FIP Secretariat at Kenya Forest Service
- Administers the NFMS/FIP platform and manages user access
- Coordinates data submission, storage, publication and system maintenance; gives technical support
- Uploads approved datasets to the live platform
- Monitors implementation of the Protocol and leads capacity development
Draft structure, pending approval. Responsibilities are from the draft NFMS/FIP Data Sharing Protocol.
The NFMS is led by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry and implemented by the Kenya Forest Service, where an NFMS secretariat oversees implementation and operation. Each monitoring item has a lead institution and mandated institutions (see Institutional Framework).
Operation of the Forest Information Platform
- FIP Manager: responsible for the Forest Information Platform.
- Information Manager: responsible for the information published (contents, quality, publication); approves contents before they are made public.
- RS/GIS technical chief and technical staff: manage the remote sensing and GIS database and the portal.
- IT Manager, IT technical chief and technical staff: hardware, network and basic software.
| Body | Main responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry: State Department for Forestry | Issues the Data Sharing Protocol under its national coordination mandate for forest monitoring, climate reporting and REDD+; Provides policy direction; Approves the Protocol (Principal Secretary) and oversees its national implementation. |
| National REDD+ Advisory Board / Steering Committee | Strategic oversight; endorses key protocols and policies; Ensures alignment with national priorities; Resolves high-level implementation issues and gives final arbitration of disputes; Approves amendments to the Protocol; reviews the annual implementation status report. |
| REDD+ Coordination Unit | Coordinates implementation and inter-agency collaboration; Oversees the three Technical Working Groups; Monitors compliance and reports on implementation progress; Receives disputes the Working Groups cannot resolve; oversees access to restricted data. |
| Forest Monitoring and MRV Working Group | Primary technical reviewer of submitted datasets; Checks completeness, accuracy and conformity to the FIP standards; Validates technical standards and recommends approval or rejection. |
| Policy and REDD+ Strategy Implementation Working Group | Advises on policy compliance of datasets and products; Supports implementation of the National REDD+ Strategy; Like all Working Groups: reviews datasets, recommends approval or rejection, identifies technical improvements. |
| Safeguards Information System, Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Working Group | Ensures metadata compliance before a dataset is endorsed; Advises on safeguards; Communication and stakeholder engagement. |
| NFMS/FIP Secretariat at Kenya Forest Service | Administers the NFMS/FIP platform and manages user access; Coordinates data submission, storage, publication and system maintenance; gives technical support; Uploads approved datasets to the live platform; Monitors implementation of the Protocol and leads capacity development. |
| Kenya Forest Service | Hosts the platform: data custodian and lead implementing agency; Custodian of hosted datasets without taking ownership of them; Implements security safeguards and coordinates recovery after incidents. |
| REDD+ implementing and participating institutions | Generate, validate, document and submit datasets with the required metadata; Designate a Data Steward; Maintain data quality and give timely updates; Remain responsible for the accuracy, legality and integrity of what they submit. |
| Authorised data users | Use datasets only for approved purposes, respecting access conditions, attribution and the law. |
The tasks of each party in the monitoring and data management functions are to be formalised through institutional arrangements, to ensure the long-term sustainability and accountability of the system.
- NFMS secretariat: to be established in the Kenya Forest Service to oversee the implementation and operation of the NFMS.
- Technical working group: reviewed and improved the NFMS document, with members from KFS, KWS, NMK, universities, UNDP and RCMRD.
- Ministry of Environment and Forestry: leads monitoring of policies and measures and of REDD+ and A/R CDM projects.
Source: Ministry of Environment and Forestry, National Forest Monitoring System in the Republic of Kenya, Version 1 (Draft), February 2021. NFMS document v1, Chapters 6.4 and 7.
Source: Draft NFMS-FIP Governance Structure, Kenya Forest Service (2026); Draft NFMS/FIP Data Sharing Protocol, version 1.0, Kenya Forest Service and State Department for Forestry (July 2026).