The Nakuru County Department of Environment in collaboration with Eco-friendly Greening Star has commenced a tree-growing exercise along the Solai-Nyahururu interchange as a way of increasing the urban tree cover and enhancing the city’s beauty.
The Chief Officer for Environment Kennedy Barasa who led the exercise that planted over 100 Mexican fan palms, urged the locals to augment the county’s determined effort to turn the entire area green by planting more trees.
He appealed to the residents along the Solai-Nyahururu Road to desist from irresponsible littering, which in most cases leads to blockage of the drainage systems when the floods carry along the garbage.
Barasa said the county was determined to be foremost in the implementation of the National Government’s plan to plant 15 billion trees by the year 2030 in order to reduce greenhouse emissions.
He noted that the county has the advantage of several forests such as Eburu in Gilgil, the Mau Water tower, and the Menengai forest, which the county would ensure are well managed and supported at all times.
However, he acknowledged that despite the past exercises of planting trees along the roads, the greatest impediment has been the grazing of cows, which end up destroying the trees even before they mature.
The officer assured seedling owners of continued support from the county government through purchasing of their seedlings and commended them for their positive efforts in maintaining the saplings even during the long droughts.
However, Moses Njehia, a seedling seller challenged the county to ensure that the trees planted along the roads were watered during the dry seasons and suggested hiring of jobless youths to cultivate and irrigate the trees until maturity.
He noted that planting trees was a popular exercise in the country especially during the rainy seasons, but the greatest challenge has always been managing the seedlings to maturity.
By Veronica Bosibori
