Murang’a,
Friday, 10 May, 2024
McCreadie Andias
President William Ruto led the country in a national wide tree – planting drive on Friday in Kiambicho Forest in Maragua, Murang’a County.
The Government spokesperson had announced on Wednesday that the day will be set aside for tree planting as well as honoring Kenyans who deceased to floods.
Ruto noted that the only way to combat the climate crisis in by planting of trees.
“Climate change is a reality we live with every day. This is why we stopped all other business today to plant trees,” the President said. “We must look for a solution to climate change, and the solution is planting and growing trees.”
His administration had set a target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032 while Friday 10 was to reach a 200 million target across the country.
The initiative was also coordinated in other parts of the country by Government executives including Governors, Cabinet Secretaries, County Commissioners, regional Commissioner and also legislators.
President Ruto noted that the exercise will continue for the next six months beginning on Monday where every government ministry will have a day in which staff of various departments and agencies will plant trees in the specific areas they have been assigned.
“Planting of trees will continue each day beginning next Monday with each ministry participating and so that we have a collective effort in conserving and restoring the environment,” President Ruto said.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi will lead the tree-planting exercise on Monday followed by all the other ministries until the government achieves the target of 15 billion trees by 2032.
He said the government was keen in increasing the country’s forest cover from 12 per cent to 30 per cent emphasizing the need for every Kenyan to plant at least 50 trees, especially fruit species.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya promised that the ministry of Environment and climate change said her will buy seedlings from residents while Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata said that his administration will buy mango seedlings from local farmers in an effort to increase horticultural production in the area.
The president among other leaders planted 20,000 trees in a 16-hectare piece of land at the Kiambicho Forest Station.