[This dataset is embargoed until June 30, 2027]. This data contains information on semi-arid grassland plant diversity, cover and community composition collected between January 2023 and May 2025 i.e., in the three years following the 2022/23 drought, at the Kapiti Research Station and Wildlife Conservancy in Machakos Country, south-central Kenya (part of the International Livestock Research Institute). This comprises: 1. Results of annual surveys of total vegetation cover and abundance (% cover) by plant species carried out during the rainy season (April/May) from 2023 to 2025 at 24 plots of 25 x 25 metres (eight plots in each of three sites). 2. Results of a seedbank experiment undertaken in 2023 using soil samples from the same 24 plots. 3. Basic soil parameters (topsoil clay, sand, total carbon, total nitrogen and total phosphorus content) for the three sites. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/590953a8-7ed3-45dc-abc4-a3aa4190865b
