NAIROBI, July 2, 2025 - Over 750,000 people living across Kenya’s critical watersheds will benefit from a new World Bank-supported project that aims to restore landscapes, protect natural resources, and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities to climate change. The project is expected to create 25,000 jobs.
The new Kenya Watershed and Sustainable Landscape Investment Project (KEWASIP) will deploy $200 million in International Development Association (IDA) financing to help the Government of Kenya enhance sustainable land and watershed management and improve livelihoods in five high-priority ecological regions. The project will cover watersheds in Marsabit, Marmanet, Nyambene, Chyulu Hills, and Shimba Hills which intersect 12 counties namely Marsabit, Samburu, Garissa, Isiolo, Baringo. Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Tana River, Laikipia, Kitui, Makueni and Kwale.
“This project is not just about restoring land—it’s about restoring opportunity and resilience for Kenya’s rural communities, especially women, youth, and marginalized groups,” said Mr. Qimiao Fan, World Bank Division Director for Kenya. “By investing in sustainable landscapes, we are safeguarding Kenya’s natural capital, which underpins food security, jobs, and climate resilience.”
Kenya’s landscapes are essential to its economy and identity but are under immense pressure from climate change and degradation. KEWASIP will help reverse these trends through community-driven action and strong institutional partnerships. The project will use an integrated landscape management approach, connecting catchments that span forests, rangelands, and agricultural systems. The initiative is structured across three core components: policy and regulatory strengthening, on-the-ground restoration and watershed management, and project management and capacity building.
Approximately 25,000 jobs are expected to be created through interventions that promote sustainable livelihoods, including agroforestry, afforestation, and the development of non-timber forest product value chains. The project will also engage local enterprises to explore investment opportunities that advance climate-smart land use and sustainable forest management.
The project is aligned with Kenya’s National Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Strategy (2023–2032) and builds on lessons from Kenya’s earlier restoration initiatives and. It also contributes directly to the World Bank’s Country Partnership Framework for Kenya and its Gender Strategy (2024–2030).
Over time, KEWASIP is expected to generate multiple benefits, including restored ecological function, improved water security, increased agricultural productivity, and reduced conflicts over natural resources.
Contacts:
In Nairobi: Vera Rosauer, vrosauer@worldbank.org
In Washington: Daniella van Leggelo-Padilla, dvanleggelo@worldbank.org
