Long before tree planting became a national mantra, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga had already staked his political future on the fate of the Mau Forest .
His stand angered allies, including President William Ruto in 2009, fuelled rebellion, and cost him subsequent elections — yet it also revealed a statesman willing to stand alone for the sake of Kenya’s environment.
It was during the charged days of the Grand Coalition Government in 2009, when the late ODM party leader made the choice that defied Kenya’s political logic.
He backed the restoration of Mau Forest — a decision that split his ODM party, alienated his 2007 key Rift Valley voting bloc, and redefined his legacy.
For Mr Odinga, environmentalists say, saving Kenya’s “lungs” was worth more than saving his “seat.”
“We cannot allow our forests to be destroyed. This is about the survival of the country,” he declared, announcing the eviction of thousands of settlers from the Mau Forest.
For many Kenyans, the Mau was just another political battleground. But for Mr Odinga, it was a moral cause — one that went beyond politics, tribes or votes.
A small waterfall in the Mau Forest in this photo taken on October 13, 2024.
Photo credit: File | Nation
He saw in the shrinking forest a threat to Kenya’s rivers, rainfall and future generations.
“His decision to protect it, though unpopular, revealed a man driven by conviction rather than convenience,” says renowned conservationist Dr Isaac Kalua Green, founder of the Green Africa Foundation.
For Mr Odinga, Dr Green argues, “it wasn’t about winning elections but about doing what was right for Kenya.”
“He chose the forest over politics, and that choice defined his courage.”
His Rift Valley allies, led by one of the leading ODM Pentagon members, Dr Ruto (now president), rebelled.
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Angry residents accused the ex-premier of betrayal, and the region that once crowned him a hero, and named him Arap Mibei (Kalenjin name meaning son of the Lake) during the 2007 elections, turned its back.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga delivering his speech at Tamarind Hotel in Nairobi on November 8, 2023 during the launch of Mau Mau Freedom Fighters Foundation website.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
Yet Mr Odinga never wavered. To him, leadership was not about pandering to the crowd but about doing what was right, even when it hurt.
More than a decade later, Dr Ruto would become the president and prioritise national tree planting, with an ambitious target of growing 15 billion trees by 2032
“The ambitious plan seeks to restore the country’s forest cover, protect water catchments, and combat the effects of climate change,” argues the president.
Speaking during this year’s Mazingira Day on October 10, when he joined pupils from State House Primary School to plant trees on the State House grounds, the Head of State was categorical.
“To make the vision a reality, the government will provide free seedlings across the country. The Kenya Forest Service (KFS), in partnership with the National Youth Service (NYS), will mobilise 15,000 NYS officers to revive 300 tree nurseries and establish 17 mega nurseries capable of producing two billion seedlings every year,” he said.
The initiative, President Ruto noted, will include fruit trees, promoting food security, agro-processing, exports, and job creation for millions of Kenyans.
“This is a national duty,” he said. “Every seedling we plant brings us closer to a greener, safer, and more prosperous Kenya.”
Last Saturday, environmentalist Dr Isaack Kalua Green led worshippers and environmental champions in planting 80 trees at Citam Athi River to honour the late former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, in light of his contributions to save the Mau Forest water tower.
“We planted 80 trees, one for each year of his life, to honour Raila Amolo Odinga — a man who chose to lose votes to save a forest,” Dr Green said.
Residents of Teret location in Njoro, Nakuru County on September 25, 2023 plant tree seedlings at Logman Forest, which is part of the Eastern Mau forest complex.
Photo credit: File | Nation
The event, part of the “Plant Your Age” campaign, brought together church groups, students and corporate leaders, who vowed to establish “Raila Green Corners” in learning institutions and workplaces to promote environmental stewardship.
“For Raila, it wasn’t about winning elections — it was about doing what was right for Kenya,” Dr Green said. “He chose the forest over politics, and that choice defined his courage.”
In 2009, as Prime Minister in the Grand Coalition government, Mr Odinga made one of the boldest — and politically costly — decisions of his career.
He ordered the eviction of thousands of settlers from the Mau Forest, insisting the survival of Kenya’s water towers was more important than votes.
The Mau Forest, one of East Africa’s largest water catchments, feeds major rivers such as the Mara, Ewaso Ng’iro and Nzoia — lifelines for millions of Kenyans and wildlife in the Maasai Mara and Lake Victoria basins.
But encroachment and illegal logging had ravaged the ecosystem, threatening the region’s climate and water supply.
Mr Odinga’s directive to reclaim the forest was hailed by conservationists but condemned by politicians from the Rift Valley, where many of the settlers came from.
This controversial decision split his ODM party and alienated his key Rift Valley voting bloc, led by then-ally William Ruto, a fallout analysts believe cost Odinga the Kalenjin vote in subsequent presidential elections.
The fallout was immediate. The Rift Valley, once a stronghold of ODM, turned hostile.
Angry residents saw the evictions as heartless and politically motivated. Analysts believe that a single decision cost Mr Odinga the Kalenjin vote in both the 2013 and 2017 elections.
Dr Green argues that Mr Odinga’s stand on environmental issues led to the creation of the Kenya Water Towers Agency, which coordinates the protection and restoration of the country’s critical catchments.
“Today, the agency’s work — from forest rehabilitation to climate adaptation — traces its roots to Raila’s Mau campaign.”
“It was the moment Kenya began taking its environment seriously. Raila saw beyond politics. He knew the forest meant life, even if it meant political death for him,” adds Dr Green.
The late Nobel Peace laureate Prof Wangari Maathai.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
In a sense, Mr Odinga’s Mau stand mirrored the late Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai’s defiance during the struggle for Karura Forest — an act of courage that earned her global recognition and government hostility.
Beyond Mau, Mr Odinga championed several environmental initiatives throughout his public life. As Roads and Public Works Minister in the early 2000s, he pushed for tree planting along highways and urban beautification programmes.
During his time as Prime Minister, he advanced Kenya’s participation in climate change talks and pushed for renewable energy development.
His policy blueprint, Vision 2030, included environmental sustainability as one of its pillars.
