Carbon Trading Kenya

 

In 2025 and January 2026, the Centre for v on b Corporations (SOMO) and environmental journalist Chris Lang (of REDD-Monitor) released significant findings regarding what they describe as a "carbon land grab" in Kenya.


​Their investigation highlights how the global carbon market is rapidly commodifying Kenyan land, often at the expense of local communities and indigenous rights.

​Key Findings from the SOMO Investigation

​According to SOMO’s database and report, the scale of carbon project expansion is unprecedented:

  • ​Massive Land Coverage: Land-based carbon offset projects now cover more than 5.4 million hectares in Kenya—an area nearly equivalent to the country’s total arable land.

  • ​Concentrated Control: Just three projects account for over 65% of the total land area under carbon offsets.

  • ​Smallholder Vulnerability: While many projects are located on smallholder land, the oversight and control often rest with foreign investors and Global North corporations.

  • ​A "New Frontier": The report argues that carbon trading has become a new tool for land dispossession, echoing colonial-era land grabs by exploiting weak community land tenure and "elite capture" within the carbon market.

​Critical Issues Highlighted

​Chris Lang and SOMO have identified several systemic failures within the Kenyan carbon market:

Issue Impact on Local Communities

Lack of Consent 

Many projects bypass the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), leading to "green grabbing" where communities lose access to ancestral lands.

Human Rights Abuses A previous 2024 SOMO investigation into the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project revealed systemic sexual harassment and abuse, highlighting a lack of safeguards.

Pastoralist Displacement Projects in rangelands (like the Northern Kenya Rangelands Carbon Project) have faced legal challenges for interfering with traditional grazing rights.

Regulatory Gaps Despite new 2024 regulations, critics argue the system still prioritizes foreign investment over equitable benefit-sharing.

Why This Matters Now

​The investigation comes at a time when Kenya is positioning itself as a leader in the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI). While the Kenyan government promotes these projects as vital for climate finance, SOMO and Lang warn that without radical transparency and community-led models, the "carbon rush" will continue to marginalize the very people it claims to help.  

​Note: This movement has already seen legal pushback. In early 2025, Kenyan courts halted several conservancy operations for failing to consult local communities, setting a precedent for "climate litigation" in the region.  

​


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