Decriminalize Charcoal Trade

The Kenya Kwanza Government promised that it would decriminalize the charcoal trade (studies estimate that bribes account for 20-30 percent of the final price

The Ministry of Environment issued new rules to regulate charcoal production, effectively ending the blanket “criminal” status for those who comply with strict traceability standards.
To eliminate the “bribe-based” transport model, the 2025 regulations require every bag of charcoal to be labeled with the producer’s name, tree species used, and county of origin.
The government introduced the National Trade Development Bill to stop counties from charging “double taxes” or arbitrary fees on charcoal transit. This is the latest attempt to remove the economic incentives for bribery by making the legal path cheaper and more predictable for small-scale traders.

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This Promise Tracker is an independent civic-accountability tool designed to monitor and document the progress of public commitments made by the Government of Kenya. Information presented on this platform is compiled from publicly available sources including government publications, parliamentary records, policy documents, and credible media reports. The classifications used in this tracker represent an evidence-based assessment by the platform’s researchers and should be understood as analytical judgments rather than official government determinations. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and regular updates, the status of promises may evolve as new information becomes available. This website is not affiliated with or operated by the Government of Kenya.

Last updated: March 4, 2026 8:08 am