Kisii County Forest Conservator Safari Opiyo has lauded journalists in Gusii region for their efforts in promoting environmental conservation by planting over 400 trees in Kisii and Nyamira Counties as part of the World Press Freedom 2024 celebrations.
Speaking at Kisii School on the outskirts of Kisii town after leading the scribes in a tree planting exercise, Mr. Opiyo said the tree planting initiative will not only mitigate the effects of climate change, but also increase the tree cover and forest cover in the counties.
“Despite the fact that the forest cover in Kisii is high, we have to continue planting trees so that the effect can be felt in those areas that have the deficiency in forest cover,” noted the Forest Conservator.
He pointed out the importance of planting trees during the rainy season saying the survival rate of the tree seedlings planted in the rainy season is high.
Opiyo encouraged the scribes and residents to grow trees in institutions because they are assured that they will be nurtured and protected instead of being tampered with by human beings.
The journalists planted a variety of tree species including fruit trees, agroforestry trees and fodder trees that provide timber, wood fuel, medicine use as well as environmental gains in the communities.
Other learning institutions that benefitted from the tree planting initiative include Kereri Girls in Kisii Central Sub County and Rangenyo primary school in Nyamira South Sub County.
This comes after the Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy partnered with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and Kisii National Polytechnic to plant 6500 trees in Kisii County.
The trees were planted at Kanunda (2500 trees), Sakawa (3,000 trees) and Kiamwasi (1000 trees) primary schools in Kitutu Central Sub County, and geared towards meeting the county’s target of planting 10 million trees by 2032.
Kisii County has a tree cover of 26.6 percent and aims to achieve 30 percent tree cover by 2032.
By Mercy Osongo
