Restoring Kenya's Landscapes, One Tree at a Time
Across Kenya, degraded land is getting a second chance. Through the Landscape Repair and Transformation (LANSRET) initiative, the University of Nairobi's Wangari Maathai Institute (WMI) is partnering with Hearts of Green and a growing circle of corporate allies, including Pioneer Insurance, VIVA 365, Kanisa SACCO, and Platinum Credit, to turn barren stretches of land into thriving green spaces.
LANSRET is more than a tree-planting campaign. It is a reforestation and community engagement program built on the idea that restoring a landscape means restoring livelihoods too. Farmers are given land to cultivate in exchange for helping nurture the very trees that will one day anchor a healthier ecosystem, ensuring that conservation and community benefit grow side by side.
The initiative's reach is expanding steadily. At South Eastern Kenya University, WMI and its partners have set out to plant over 3,000 indigenous trees along a 9-kilometre stretch, with the first phase already covering 4 kilometres. At Kenyatta University Teaching & Referral Hsp, a tree-growing drive marking the programme's third year with Hearts of Green and Kanisa SACCO
For Professor Thuita Thenya, Director of the Wangari Maathai Institute, the work carries a deeply personal weight. Planting trees, he says, is a moral duty and a living tribute to the legacy of Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Each seedling planted under LANSRET is monitored and cared for, with organisers aiming for survival rates as high as 98 percent within three years.
LANSRET recently showcased its restoration model at the 2026 Nairobi Innovation Week, demonstrating how research and community partnership can come together to repair the land. As the programme grows, the Wangari Maathai Institute continues to invite new partners to join the effort, proof that her vision of a greener, more sustainable Kenya is still very much alive.