Globally, savannah ecosystems are threatened by escalating bush encroachment which leads to a loss of ecosystem services. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of bush clearing on understory plant species composition, ecological status, and grazing value in a semi-arid savannah ecosystem. We identified plant species in bush-encroached and bush-cleared treatments in March 2020. In each treatment, 50 m long transects were established 20 m apart. Plant species were identified, and their percentage cover was estimated in 1 × 1 m quadrats placed at 5 m intervals along each transect. We measured the cover of woody plants in bush-encroached treatment using a densitometer. Student t-test was used to compare the means of plant cover, density, species richness, diversity, and evenness between the two treatments. Grass species were categorised into grazing value and ecological status classes. It was found that all these parameters, except for species richness, differed significantly (p < 0.05) between the two treatments. There were more highly palatable species in the bush-cleared treatment than the bush-encroached one. The results show that bush clearing can improve rangeland conditions in savannah ecosystems.