Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wisley Rotich has launched the school re-greening programme to plant 60 million trees in the county in the next five years in an effort to combat the effects of climate change and promote greener environment.
The initiative kicked off at Iten Primary School, where Governor Rotich led a group of pupils, teachers, and other stakeholders in planting more than 1000 trees.
He noted the initiative involves everyone and churches have already started theirs under the green churches movement and added the county will soon start for parents.
The governor said under the programme, schools will enter into competition and anyone who plants more trees will be rewarded during World Environmental day fetes.
He said that environmental committees have been formed in every Sub County and wards to help in environment conservation and tree-planting campaigns.
“We are also planting trees for carbon credits that for the schools will be viable after 3 years after which calculations are done and proceeds payable to help with schools’ operations,” said the Governor.
The Governor urged schools that have space and are properly fenced to nurture nurseries as a learning experience for the pupils and produce seedlings in the process.
Abraham Kipchumba, head teacher of Iten Primary noted that the school already had allocated a portion of land dedicated to the nurseries and added they are in partnership with Simba for Kids that have been helping the school in their tree planting ventures.
Kipchumba was grateful that the programme started at their school and promised that the initiative would be sustained and that the trees planted will be nurtured to maturity.
Governor Rotich emphasised the importance of the programme that he noted will create a more sustainable future for the region in mitigating the negative effects of climate change.
“This will help combat the effects of climate change which has been a recipe of calamities like droughts, floods, change of rainfall patterns which are currently unpredictable, and disease & pests outbreaks besides wealth creation through the sale of forest products,” said Governor Rotich.
The governor said the programme to be implemented across the county was aimed at creating an eco-friendly landscape and urged area residents to take advantage of the ongoing rains to plant more trees.
By Rennish Okong’o and Damaris Biwott
