Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company Limited (ELDOWAS), has embarked on a programme to plant 4,800 trees during this planting season aimed at increasing the flow of water to Uasin Gishu County.
The Managing Director Peter Biwot said with the ever increasing population in Uasin Gishu County, there was need to protect water sources to ensure there is adequate water to meet the needs of residents.
Speaking at Kaptagat Forest in Keiyo South Sub County, the MD said the company will be organizing other activities in the area pertaining to conservation of the environment among them partnering with Elgeyo Marakwet County Government to improve the livelihoods of the residents by introducing other economic activities.
“We want to promote other economic activities like zero grazing, poultry, bee keeping and fish farming so that women here do not have to depend much on the forest for firewood to earn a living,” said the managing director.
Saying they were mainly targeting youth in the conservation activities, Biwot said next year in March they will hold a climate action concert in which they will hold a music extravaganza that leading musicians from Africa will be invited in a bid to attract many youths.
“We have organized youths from various schools in both Elgeyo Marakwet and Uasin Gishu counties to attend the concert and we hope other youths will also attend,” he said.
The conservation activities, the MD said will also benefit residents leaving next to the forests as the company will hire them to prepare the area where the tree will be planted and also fencing it.
“Within the period of this exercise, we will have created employment here and we hope with this kind of collaboration, we should be able to achieve significant progress,” added Biwot.
The youth were among the major participants of the event with the theme ‘Tree For Peace,’ an initiative of using the youth to plant trees as a sign of peace, partnered with ELDOWAS.
“We thank ELDOWAS, for their support even as we continue to preach peace through such initiatives so that we can have peace before, during and after elections,” said Kiprotich Limo who is spearheading the initiative.
“It is not the first time we have been planting trees with ELDOWAS, we really thank them and we want the people to see the change in the youth,” added Eddah Rotich, a student of medicine at Moi University.
By Alice Wanjiru and Kipyego Amos
