Kenya faces a growing wood supply deficit and urgently needs to develop new plantation resources. The commercial forest sector is under-developed and it is thought that offering long-term concessions on publically owned forest reserves could attract private sector investment. The UK’s Gatsby Charitable Foundation is implementing the Kenya Commercial Forestry Programme (KCFP) to tackle this wood supply issue but also to deliver opportunities for economic growth and rural livelihoods. In 2019 KCFP commissioned a study to delve deeper into Kenya’s commercial forest sector and to learn lessons from other countries. UNIQUE was contracted to undertake this study due to its track-record and long experience in the region and particularly its work supporting Uganda’s Sawlog Production Grant Scheme, which UNIQUE has been involved with since 2007.

• Review of available literature, including Gatsby’s internal case studies.
• Presentation of case studies and highlighting lessons learned for Uganda, South Africa and Mozambique.
• High level review of Kenya’s commercial forest sector considering concessions in forest reserves.
• Presentation of a detailed road map for a successful concession process in Kenya.