Environment, Climate change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary (CS) Soipan Tuya Saturday presided over the launching of Ameru Njuri Ncheke council of elders’ tree planting exercise at the Council’s shrine in Nchiru, Tigania West Sub County.
The exercise will see the elders’ plant trees in Meru and Tharaka Nithi Counties, especially during the predicted El Nino rains.
The elders have been champions of conservation of forests and the general ecosystem and to prove this, they handed their 2014-2030 strategic plan to the CS that is aimed at greening the entire Meru region.
The CS, who was accompanied by her Agriculture counterpart Mithika Linturi and the Forestry PS Gitonga Mugambi, congratulated the elders for the great initiative, adding that they will be listed as one of the key stakeholders at the ministry in terms of forest conservation.
“From today we have enlisted Njuri Ncheke as one of the critical stakeholders in forest conservation, since they have proved their worth. Other key stakeholders that we will be working with include the Farmers’ federation as well as Farmers cooperatives, which will help us achieve our target of planting 15 billion trees by 2030,” said Tuya.
She added that out of the targeted 15billion trees, 30 percent should be fruit trees, so as to enhance food security in the country.
“We want to use individual farmers, since we know that when a farmer carries a fruit tree to his farm, it is a guarantee that that tree will be taken care of as it is also a source of food to that family,” said Tuya.
The CS added that planting trees is no longer a Corporate Social Responsibility activity, but an issue of life and death.
She also called on members of parliament to support the tree planting initiative as they were also part of the stakeholders in the exercise.
“We want the MPs to help us change the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF) act to allow the legislators bring on board a green army that will help in planting and taking care of tree nurseries all over the country,” said Tuya.
On his part, Linturi said his ministry was in full support of all tree planting initiatives, as this was also in line with enhancing nutritional and food security in the country.
“The ministry of Agriculture will work closely with other leaders to ensure that we not only plant trees, but also do a mix of trees that have the potential of giving us food as the government has the mandate of making the country food and nutritional secure,” he said.
He said the ministry will also support the ministry of Environment, climate change and forestry by mobilizing farmers through the Kenya national federation of farmers and through other organized registered farmers to ensure they help in planting trees.
“I am also happy to announce that the ministry of agriculture in partnership with that of Forestry will today give out 5000 fruit trees that will be distributed to the elders to plant them at their homes,” said Linturi.
By Dickson Mwiti
