Nyeri Deputy Governor David Kinaniri yesterday joined NCBA Bank and WWF- Kenya during the launch of Kieni Climate Initiative Farmland Forest Restoration Project held at Kimunyuru Secondary School in Gataragwa ward, Kieni West Sub County.
Kinaniri said Climate change was a global phenomenon which must be tackled by all as a team. “The ongoing changes in temperature and rainfall patterns are already having devastating impacts on productivity, economies and, above all, on the livelihoods of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people in sub-Saharan Africa,” the deputy Governor added.
He said with the support of WWF-Kenya and funding from the NCBA Bank, KCI – a community based organisation launched a 10-year tree planting and growing program to help restore degraded farmlands and natural forests in Gataragwa Ward in Nyeri County.
The CBO target to plant 10 million trees in the next 10 years. Some of the trees being planted are Cypress, Eucalyptus, Grevillea robusta, Pinus patula, Callistemon salignus (white bottlebrush), Casuarina equisetifolia (whistling pine) and Nandi Frame (spathodea nilotica) among others.
The key results expected include recreating the forest ecosystem, attracting higher amount of rainfall, reducing global warming and boosting income.
Kinaniri said the County Government of Nyeri was committed to improving the environment to mitigate climate change by increasing the forest cover from 40.89% currently to 50% in the coming years.
He also thanked the partners, area MCA Clement Warutere and the KCA members led by the Chairman Dr. Gakuo Mwangi for the initiative.
According to the latest National Forest Resources Assessment Report, Nyeri County had the highest forest cover in the country, 40.89%, which is four times the nationally recommended 10% forest cover.
Nyeri Water and Environment CEC Fredrick Kinyua who was also present said the department has formed Climate Change committees in all the 30 wards in the county which will help to address climate change challenge.
WWF Kenya Head of Conservation programs, Mr Jackson Kiplagat and NCBA bank Director for Marketing Nelly Wainaina appreciated the efforts of the group in climate change mitigation.
Since inception in 2021, KCI has established four tree nurseries in four schools in Gatarakwa Ward and grown over 150,000 seedlings. About 72 % of the tree seedlings have been distributed to local schools and individual farmers for planting.
The four tree nurseries are located in Kimunyuru Secondary School, Embaringo Primary School, Charity Primary School and Watuka Polytechnic. Each tree nursery has capacity to produce 100,000 tree seedlings.
By Beth Ndirangu
