As Schools close for April holiday, parents have been urged to engage their children in tree planting, so as to boost the National government’s target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.
The call was made by environmental stakeholders on Wednesday in Baringo County during a tree planting exercise at Sacho High School, done jointly by the school and Huduma Centre, Kabarnet in partnership with Kenya Forest Service (KFS).
Kabarnet Zone Ecosystem Conservator Hellen Sikuku who spoke during the event encouraged school going children to make good use of the holiday by planting trees as a way of conserving the environment.
Sikuku, while enumerating the importance of planting and conserving trees challenged the young generation to plant trees in proportion to their ages.
“This rainy season we can spend some time at home by planting one or two trees according to your age since it will benefit you in the near future,” she said.
The zonal conservator who lauded the institution’s principal for his efforts of planting some indigenous and exotic trees within the school compound called for care of the new trees.
Her sentiments were supported by the Institution Principal Malowa Malowa who urged students to champion the initiative being conducted countrywide.
Malowa said tree planting should be made a daily routine and not when there are important commemoration and events.
“In that small compound at home plant something, it will be a Centre of remembering after a very long time,” he said.
Kabarnet Huduma Centre Deputy Manager Geoffrey Kipkios in his remarks said that Huduma Kenya is supporting the government’s adopt a tree initiative where they are targeting to take up 500 million from the 15 billion trees target.
He expressed the need of planting more trees especially within institutions noting that it will enable students to learn in a conducive environment and enhance their mental health.
Sacho High School student representative Tuyan Malel said the tree planting exercise apart from being examinable in school especially for Agriculture students it can bring along aesthetic value and act as a source of fuels to many families.
They argued that if Kenyans could have embraced the late Daniel Arap Moi’s tree planting campaign of “Kata mti moja, panda mbili,” which translates to cut one tree plant two, the country could not have witnessed diminishing forest cover.
Sacho Mosop Location Chief Philip Korir stated that the exercise was part of preventing landslide and soil erosion along the Tugen hills, which for a long time has been prone to mudslide and landslide.
He encouraged residents to plant more indigenous trees in order to safeguard forests and water catchment in the area which is equally beneficial to the lower sides including Kerio Valley.
By Benson Kelio and Christopher Kiprop
