Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change CS Soipan Tuya has called on governors to champion tree planting in their respective counties to increase the country’s tree cover.
Speaking at Keekorok Lounge at the Maasai Mara Game Reserve during the Council of Governors’s summit, Soipan thanked the governors for the steps they have made in increasing tree cover in their specific counties, but urged them not to relent, to achieving the 15 billion trees target in ten years.
The CS reiterated that the government has set aside Monday, November 13, 2023 as a public holiday so that every person can stop their daily work to concentrate on planting trees.
“My core mandate is to ensure that Kenyans own the process of conserving their ecosystems. I wish all Kenyans can change their behavior and take a personal responsibility of conserving the environment,” she continued.
During the tree planting holiday, she observed, if every Kenyan was to plant one tree, there would be an addition of 50 million trees, adding that their target is to plant 100, 000 trees on that holiday date.
“We will have one cabinet secretary coordinating two counties on the tree planting agenda. We are doing this so that we can achieve the presidential directive of planting 15 billion trees in ten years,” she said.
Tuya underscored the seedlings will be sourced from tree nurseries already established in the counties, stressing that every county has more than five tree seed-beds established.
The Council of Governors led by their chairperson, Kirinyaga governor Anne Waiguru is holding a retreat at the Maasai Mara to look at the achievements of devolution one year after the first cycle of devolution.
The governors also planted tree seedlings at the National Reserve premises in a show of solidarity and also leading by example.
By Ann Salaton
