City report · Kiambu County, Kenya
Ruiru Air quality today
Air quality in Ruiru currently reads AQI 96 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 96
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 33.3
- tree cover
- 10.2%
- trees in this area
- 32.0K
- more trees needed
- 62.2K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Ruiru, Kenya (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 24, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Ruiru · AQI 96 (Moderate)
Ruiru's tree count comes to 32,044 trees across 12.57 km², 20 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 62,204 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Ruiru today: AQI 96, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 20:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Kitisuru, 24.2 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
33.3
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Ruiru's daily AQI at 46 on average, from 41 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 65 on Nov 4.
Where Ruiru stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Ruiru: Critically low
10.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
32,044
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
62,204
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,368 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Ruiru lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ruiru has lost about 255 hectares of forest (about 360 football pitches): 25% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 255 haabout 360 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 25%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 242 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 68 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 63 ha | 5 ha | 68 ha |
| 2002 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2003 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2004 | 7 ha | 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2005 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2006 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2007 | 37 ha | 2 ha | 39 ha |
| 2008 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2011 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2012 | 7 ha | 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2013 | 19 ha | under 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2014 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2015 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2016 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2017 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2018 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2019 | 19 ha | under 1 ha | 20 ha |
| 2020 | 16 ha | under 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2023 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Ruiru?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good92% · 235 ha
- Loggingcan grow back3% · 8 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good2.5% · 6 ha
Also: unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 5,810 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 5,030 ha
- Overall change
- −784 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ruiru shrank from about 5,810 hectares to 5,030 hectares, a net loss of about 784 hectares (−13%). New forest grew on about 204 hectares, but 989 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
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Frequently asked
Questions about Ruiru
What is the air quality (AQI) in Ruiru right now?
The latest reading for Ruiru shows an AQI of 96 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 20:00 local time by the Kitisuru ground monitoring station, 24.2 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Ruiru today?
At AQI 96 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Ruiru been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Ruiru's daily AQI at 46 on average, from 41 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 65 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Ruiru lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ruiru has lost about 255 hectares of forest (about 360 football pitches): 25% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ruiru shrank from about 5,810 hectares to 5,030 hectares, a net loss of about 784 hectares (−13%). New forest grew on about 204 hectares, but 989 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Ruiru?
Ruiru has an estimated 32,044 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 10.2% tree cover, 20 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Ruiru need?
Ruiru needs roughly 62,204 more trees to close a 20-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,368 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Ruiru's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Ruiru, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 2 km radius around Ruiru; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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