A recently planted tree seedling bearing Munyoki Kathinge’s name stood shyly in the hot sun outside the Forests Law Enforcement Academy in Mukutani, along the border of Tiaty and Baringo South.
Beside it, another seedling bore the name of Gideon Waswa, along with the years he served before his life was cut short in the line of duty.
Kathinge had just marked his 30th year of service, while Waswa had completed 23. Within the yard, 12 other young trees, each tagged with a fallen ranger's name, stood in silent rows, enduring the scorching heat.
The 14 trees were planted to honour the 14 lives lost safeguarding Kenya’s forests since the start of the year.
This solemn ceremony was part of this year’s World Ranger Day celebrations, marking 20 years since the global observance was established.
Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa, who led the event honouring the officers, emphasised the daily dangers faced by rangers, from confronting armed illegal loggers and poachers to fighting forest fires and securing remote forest boundaries.
“It is our painful memory that this year alone, 14 of our brave rangers have paid the ultimate price and another 40 were injured while protecting our natural resources. No one should think that attacking, injuring, or killing our brave rangers would weaken our resolve to defend all forests,” Dr Barasa stated.
She observed that losing 14 rangers in just seven months highlights the increasing risks encountered by frontline conservationists working in hazardous zones.
Chief Conservator of Forests Mr Alex Lemarkoko highlighted the heavy toll rangers face daily in risky areas.
"On any given day, a ranger faces the challenging task of intercepting forest poachers, suppressing forest fires, preventing illegal grazing, and securing forest boundaries. Rangers live, work, and sometimes literally pay the ultimate price to protect forests,” Lemarkoko said.
To address the rising threats that rangers encounter, the KFS board announced ongoing efforts to support field officers with modern equipment, including aerial drones for forest surveillance and fire detection.
The deployment of 2,700 newly recruited rangers, KFS board chair Titus Korir said, has also helped ease operational strain across national forest reserves.
He emphasised that protecting rangers requires strong institutional support.
“Governance does not make headlines the way an arrest or a seizure does, but it is what determines whether today's success can be repeated tomorrow,” Korir said.
World Ranger Day is celebrated worldwide on 31 July to commemorate rangers killed and injured in the line of duty and to celebrate the work they do to safeguard the planet’s natural treasures and cultural heritage.
In a statement to mark the day, CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero noted that this year’s theme, “Guardians of a Changing Planet,” reflects the increasingly complex realities of rangers’ work.
“Rangers conserve wildlife, ecosystems, cultural heritage, and support local communities, at a time when human-wildlife conflict, organized wildlife crime, and the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss are placing unprecedented pressure on nature,” Higuero said.
She added, “We remember the rangers who have lost their lives or been injured in the line of duty. Their sacrifice is a solemn reminder of the risks faced by those who care for our shared natural heritage, often in remote, resource-constrained, and life-threatening environments.”
