Attorney General Kihara Kariuki, has urged Kenyans to maximize the planting of trees to attain 10 percent tree cover by 2022.
The AG said the President’s commitment to reach the 10 percent forest cover by 2022 was attainable urging the public to put in more efforts.
While regretting that forest destruction was on the rise in the country, Kihara urged communities living next to forests to protect the water catchment area.
The AG spoke in Aberdare’s South Kinangop forest when he led AG’s staff as well as those from the Department of Justice, in planting about 5,000 trees. He advocated for passing the forest conservation culture to the young generation.
“The president of Kenya Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta has made a pledge not only to Kenya but globally that by 2022 the country will have attained a 10 percent tree cover across the country. It is a call to every Kenyan to maximize planting of trees to at least help attain the target,” he said.
He urged the residents to follow the Ministry of Health protocols on preventing the spread of Covid-19 that he likened to the 1919 Spanish Flu.
Also at the event, Deputy Chief Conservator Patrick Kariuki said that the Kenya Forest Service was working closely with Community Forest Associations (CFA) in ensuring forests are protected.
“The CFAs are allowed to plant low cover crops for three years after tree planting. They care for the trees as they gain livelihoods from the forest through grazing, cutting grass, collecting firewood and cultivating crops,” noted Kariuki.
Kariuki urged the residents to get seedlings from the KFS to plant on their own farm land, churches, trading centres as well as road reserves, as a way of conserving the water catchment area.
Aberdare-Kibutu CFA chairman James Kariuki, said the CFAs had helped rehabilitate about 200ha of indigenous forest in the 6,800 hectares of the South Kinangop forest block.
By Anne Sabuni
