NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 24 — The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has dismissed online reports suggesting volcanic activity at Mt Longonot.
In a statement issued on its social media platforms, KWS said the incident in question was a wildfire that originated on adjacent community land and is suspected to have been caused by land-clearing activities.
The fire, which spread into parts of Mt Longonot National Park, was swiftly contained through the joint efforts of KWS rangers, community guides, and local residents.
“A wildfire broke out on January 21, 2026, originating from community land and is suspected to be linked to land-clearing activities,” KWS said.
“We wish to inform the public that there is no volcanic activity or eruption associated with the incident.”
Mt Longonot is a stratovolcano with a large 8-by-12-kilometre caldera formed by past eruptions of trachytic lava.
According to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program, Mt Longonot is believed to have last erupted in the 1860s.
Periodic geodetic activity recorded between 2004 and 2006, however, indicates the presence of active magmatic systems beneath the volcano.