Nairobi — Environmental groups Green Belt Movement (GBM) and Greenpeace Africa have called for the immediate suspension of President William Ruto's directive lifting the ban on logging in the Mau Forest Complex, warning that the move threatens to reverse years of environmental recovery.

The organisations said the decision undermines conservation gains and risks accelerating deforestation, biodiversity loss, and water scarcity in Kenya's largest forest ecosystem.

"Reopening the Mau to logging erodes decades of progress in forest restoration and climate resilience," the groups said in a joint statement.

They urged the government to reinstate the moratorium, invest in sustainable forest management, and uphold Kenya's climate and environmental commitments.