Martha Karua slams Ruto for lifting logging ban
By Nancy Marende, November 4, 2025The People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader, Martha Karua, has criticised President William Ruto’s decision to lift the national logging ban.
Karua has described it as “a betrayal of logic, science, and Kenya’s environmental commitments.”
Also watch: Maraga’s United Green Movement condemns lifting of logging ban in Mau Forest
In a statement on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, Karua condemned the Kenya Kwanza administration for reversing a policy that she says was critical to the country’s reforestation and climate resilience efforts.
“The decision by William Ruto and his administration to lift the logging ban on Kenya’s forests is unacceptable, illogical, and immoral,” Karua said. “For a country that has pledged to plant 15 billion trees by 2032 and poured billions of shillings into that ambition, allowing loggers back into our forests reeks of recklessness, short-sightedness, and deception.”
President Ruto had argued that the logging ban was being lifted to allow the harvesting of mature trees to create room for new growth, a justification Karua dismissed as “misleading and dangerous”.
“That sounds neat on paper, but in practice, it is messy. Once the floodgates open, illegal loggers, corrupt officers, and politically connected cartels will exploit the chaos. We have seen this movie before, and it never ends well.”
Karua also tied her criticism to the recent passing of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, reminding the President that Raila had taken a strong and principled stand to protect Kenya’s forests.
“As the country is still mourning the loss of Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga, we remind Ruto that Raila fiercely advocated for the preservation of the Mau Forest Complex. Barely a month after his passing, he is dismantling the very environmental protections Raila fought for. This is a betrayal to his legacy.”
The PLP leader revisited the origins of the 2018 moratorium on logging, noting that it was introduced in response to severe deforestation in critical catchment areas like the Mau, Cherangany Hills, and Mt. Kenya forests.
“These forests are the lungs of our nation,” Karua said. “They store carbon, regulate rainfall, and feed the rivers that sustain agriculture, power generation, and urban water supply. Weakening their protection now risks undoing years of fragile recovery.”
Constitution
Karua also accused the President of bypassing constitutional requirements for public participation and transparency in policymaking.
“Once again, Ruto has chosen roadside declarations over due process,” she said. “In 2023, his earlier attempt to lift the logging ban was declared unconstitutional by the Environment and Land Court. Articles 35 and 69 of the Constitution guarantee citizens the right to access information and participate in environmental decisions. By ignoring these safeguards, Ruto violates the Constitution and undermines governance.”
Watch: Ruto orders end to furniture imports, reopens timber industry
She further warned that lifting the ban would revive the same corruption cartels exposed by the Ndung’u Land Report, which detailed illegal allocations of forest land to politically connected individuals.
“Reversing the logging ban today revives the same cartels that destroyed our forests in the first place,” Karua said. “We still fall short of the internationally recommended 10% forest cover, and this move takes us several steps backward.”
Karua also took aim at what she termed Ruto’s “hypocrisy” on the international stage, accusing him of preaching environmental responsibility abroad while undermining it at home.
“At global climate forums, Ruto positions himself as a champion of green growth and reforestation. But his actions tell a different story. He has become a master of preaching water abroad and drinking wine at home. This inconsistency damages Kenya’s credibility and makes us look indecisive and opportunistic.”
Karua warned that the environmental and economic consequences of lifting the ban would be severe.
“A few sawmills may run again, but the cost will be paid by farmers facing unpredictable rains, pastoralists watching their grazing lands vanish, and urban residents suffering water rationing. Economic growth built on environmental ruin is a hollow victory.”
The former Justice Minister concluded her statement with a stern call for the President to reverse the decision before irreversible harm is done.
“Kenyans have worked too hard to reclaim their forests. Our forests are not idle assets but living infrastructure, vital to our survival, our economy, and our climate resilience. Ruto must reverse this reckless decision before the damage becomes irreversible.”