Over 20,000 trees of various species were planted in the coastal county of Kwale during the national tree planting campaign as part of efforts to combat climate change.
Kenyans received a special public holiday on May 10, 2024, to plant trees across the country during the on-going heavy rainy season.
The national tree planting exercise in Matuga Sub-county of Kwale in the Shimba Hills National Reserve was led by Coast Regional Commissioner (RC) Rhoda Onyancha and Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani.
The two led national and county government officials, respectively, in the tree planting campaign and stated that the countrywide campaign was in fulfilment of the pledge of President William Ruto to conserve the environment.
They also added that it was in line with President Ruto’s national call for protecting the environment, preserving ecosystems, and addressing the menace of global warming and climate change.
The event was marked at Kichaka Simba Primary School Kubo South in Matuga Sub County on the National Tree Planting Day.
Commissioner Onyancha emphasised the importance of environmental conservation initiatives in the country and its strong connection to nature.
She said the tree planting drive is part of the government’s plans to grow 15 billion trees by 2030 across the 47 counties.
The senior administrator stressed the crucial need for greening efforts in the country and called on all and sundry to support the national and county government efforts in conserving the environment.
The RC also stressed the national government’s commitment to environmental sustainability and proactive measures to protect and enhance the country’s natural resources for posterity.
Onyancha said the national greening initiative would be meaningless unless Kenyans and other stakeholders made it a part of their culture to care for trees all year round.
Governor Achani stated that biodiversity was under serious threat from deforestation, forest degradation, and climate change, noting that forest depletion was a danger to the environment and to humanity, which has aggravated climate change, global warming, and rainfall patterns around the world.
She noted that the devolved government was committed to fighting desertification and riparian encroachment and encouraging land reclamation.
Over 10, 000 trees were planted during the exercise, with trees planted within the schools at Kubo South.
The same exercise is replicated across the county, with an estimation of 20,000 trees planted across the six sub-counties of Kwale by the end of Friday.
Governor Achani has so far spearheaded the planting of over 600,000 trees for a period of one and a half years, with a target to plant over 29 million trees by 2032 as part of the initiatives to reach 15 billion trees across the country.
The coastal county boss underscored that the trees would reduce carbon emissions, mitigate the effects of flooding and severe droughts, support wildlife, and play a significant role in climate change.
Governor Achani noted that the initiative would not only restore the lost value of nature in Kwale but also remedy the mismanagement of the environment and create a positive impact for posterity.
“I urge the people of Kwale to take advantage of the current rainy season and plant more trees, and I promise my full commitment to this noble cause,” said Achani, adding that the tree planting initiative was geared towards a clean, green, and better environment for all.
By Hussein Abdullahi
