Editor's Review

The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has announced that import and export permits for regulated forest products will be processed electronically from October 31, 2026. 

The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has announced that import and export permits for regulated forest products will be processed electronically from October 31, 2026. 

In a public notice on Wednesday, October 28, KFS said all import and export processes will be onboarded onto the National Electronic Single Window System (NESWS) through the Trade Facilitation Platform (TFP) by October 31.

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KFS said the onboarding is being undertaken in line with a Head of Public Service circular dated June 4, 2019 and is aimed at streamlining trade processes, enhancing transparency and improving service delivery efficiency. 

“Effective 31 October 2026, the processing of KFS import and export permits for regulated forest products shall be undertaken electronically through TFP. The corresponding manual processes at KFS offices will no longer apply,” read the statement. 

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File image of Chief Conservator of Forests Alex Lemarkoko.

KFS noted that the onboarding covers the No Objection Letter (Master Permit), import of forest products, export of forest products, and the associated KFS permits and fees onto TFP. 

The affected forest products include timber, plywood, sawdust, withies, charcoal, bamboo, veneer, resin, and myrrh (gum). 

Others are tamarind, baobab, Gum Arabic, turpentine oils, rosin and resin acids, and other regulated wood products. 

The service urged affected stakeholders to familiarize themselves with the new electronic procedures and ensure all relevant transactions are processed through the Trade Facilitation Platform from October 31.

“KFS and KenTrade remain committed to strengthening trade facilitation through digitalisation, reducing paperwork and in-person visits, improving transparency and revenue collection, and supporting the timely and efficient clearance of regulated forest products,” KFS added. 

This comes weeks after KFS launched a technology-driven tool designed to support regular and cost-effective monitoring of tree cover across the country.

In a statement on Wednesday, September 16, the agency said the tool was developed in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the SFS-CORECC Project. 

KFS said the system was piloted in Makueni County using satellite imagery and machine-learning techniques.

"Developed through the KFS–Japan International Cooperation Agency collaboration under the SFS-CORECC Project, the tool was piloted in Makueni County using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and machine-learning approaches," the statement read.

According to KFS, the pilot demonstrated more than 80 per cent accuracy in mapping tree and land cover. 

The assessment provided separate accuracy levels for tree-cover and land-cover mapping and also generated estimates for Makueni County.

"The pilot recorded over 80 per cent accuracy, with tree-cover mapping achieving 84.4 per cent tree cover accuracy and land-cover mapping 81.1 per cent land cover accuracy.

"The 2026 assessment estimated Makueni’s tree cover at 14.72 per cent and forest cover at 6.83 per cent," the statement added.