The Kenya Forestry Research Institute, KEFRI has been tasked to supply seeds to 210 technical and vocational training (TVET) institutions to raise at least 20,000 tree seedlings for the 2023/2024 tree planting season.
The seeds will be supplied through the 22 KEFRI stations across the country by the end of May, according to KEFRI Director Dr Joshua Cheboiwo.
State Department for Forestry Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho said 145 kilogrammes of seeds with 290,000 tubes to raise 2.9 million tree seedlings was distributed to 28 TVETs on Friday during the launch of the green Initiative Challenge (GIC) for TVETs at the Eldoret National Polytechnic.
Kimotho said they aim to in future donate 1million seeds to every TVET to produce at least 100million tree seedlings adding that if each of the 500,000 students in TVET institutions planted at least 30 tree seedlings annually, the country will be able to achieve 150million trees planted.
During the launch, Principal Secretary of State Department for Technical and Vocational Training Dr. Esther Muoria said that during the ongoing campaign to plant trees countrywide, the Ministry of Education in Collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry aims to plant 5million trees this season as its contribution towards President William Ruto’s Greening initiative that aims to achieve 15 billion trees within the next 10 years.
The PS underscored the significance of conservation of the environmental resources to mitigate the effects of climate change, adding that the ministry intends to escalate its share of tree planting to 1 billion in five years towards the achievement of the 15 billion tree cover targets.
“As the Ministry of Education contributes to the realization of required forest cover, we would like to plant up to 5 million trees this tree planting season and be able to scale it to 1 billion in the next five years,” she said
“The success of the green initiative effort depends on the participation and collaboration of TVET Principals and other stakeholders; therefore, I encourage all of you to join hands in the ongoing tree planting campaign,” said the PS who also signed a memorandum of understanding for the supply of seed with the forestry department.
The PS lauded Eldoret National Polytechnic for its initiative to install a Biogas plant and encouraged more institutions to follow suit as one way of embracing clean energy.
On his part, the Forestry PS noted that the greening initiative by the Ministry of Education was a major boost towards achieving the 15 billion tree cover.
“For us to achieve the targeted 10% tree cover we need to ensure we have enough seed to produce adequate seedlings and support from other partners,” he said.
The PS said the 15billion tree strategy aims to restore 10.6 ha of forest, “to achieve the target, we are going beyond the 350,000 gazetted forests, we are targeting schools, institutions of high learning and TVETs to help in the restoration campaign,” said the PS adding, “we are working closely with the departments of basic and higher education and TVETs in seedling production.”
By Judy Too and Kiptanui Cherono
