The government has extended the ban on logging for another year to facilitate reforms.
The ban on logging and extraction of timber in all public and community forests was initially imposed on February 24 before it was extended to November 24.
Environment CS Keriako Tobiko, however, in a statement on Friday said more time is required for the full implementation of new measures to protect the forests.
"The pace of implementation of these reforms has been majorly hampered by inadequate institutional capacity and budgetary resource allocation," he said.
He said they have proposed a Sh18 billion budget to handle challenges of deforestation in the next five years.
The CS attributed water shortage experienced in the country to deforestation, encroachment, and degradation of water catchment areas and riparian land.
He said the extension will aid in the restoration and rehabilitation of the critical water catchment and natural forest areas currently estimated at 123,553 acres.
"The extension will allow for the replanting of the backlog clear fell plantation areas currently estimated at 76,603 acres with indigenous tree species," he said.
"Further, the extension will allow the scaling up of the on-going National Tree Planting campaigns aimed at achieving the 10 per cent forest cover by 2022 as directed by the President."
The ministry had on February 26 appointed a task force headed by the Green Belt Movement chairperson Marion Wakanyi to carry out investigations on forest resource management and logging actives at Kenya Forest Service.
The task force recommended strict enforcement on the ban of charcoal, eviction of illegal of settlers, audit lifestyle of KFS staff, and making it mandatory for both the county and national governments to participate in national tree planting campaigns.
It also asked that the then KFS Board reconstituted, a caretaker team appointed, more KFS rangers trained, and adoption of technology to increase efficiency.
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