The Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Aden Duale has officially suspended the export of raw Veneer with immediate effect.
Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has further been instructed not to issue documents required for the export.
In woodworking, veneer refers to thin slices of wood or bark that are typically glued onto core panels to produce flat panels such as doors, panels for cabinets, floors and parts of furniture.
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According to World Integrated Trade Solutions, in 2023, Kenya exported veneer worth about 500 thousands Us dollars to seven countries around the world.
The countries include; China, Czech Republic, United States, Portugal, Cameroon, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
The great gains however come at the cost of destruction of the environment. With long term effects on climate change. Recent reports highlight the premature harvesting of trees.
By halting the exportation of veneer the government aims to curb this practice. Ensuring that trees mature and contribute effectively to national restoration goals.
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The ban follows after the first day of the African Union ICPAC ( IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center), three day summit in Nairobi, Kenya. Which will run up to Thursday 29th August,2024, with the aim to discuss strategies to curb climate change in East Africa.
The government , through the National Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration strategy, aims to restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded landscape by planting 15 billion trees.
By 2023, the aim is to achieve 30% tree cover in the country. The suspension of veneer exports is a step towards that goal.
