The county government of Turkana has allocated Sh.28 million for establishment and development of tree nurseries and tree seedlings production.
Speaking during the celebrations to commemorate the International Day of Forests 2024 at Lodwar Girls High School, Turkana governor Jeremiah Lomorukai said his administration has set a target of producing and transplanting 2 million tree seedlings every year in Turkana County.
He said this was in line with the national campaign to attain 30 percent tree cover by the year 2032.
The International Day of Forests (IDF) is an annual event with the objective of celebrating and raising awareness of the importance of forest conservation.
The theme for this year’s IDF is “Forests and Innovation,” and the slogan is “New Solutions for a Better World.”
The Governor rallied residents to plant more trees as part of an effort to combat global warming.
He stated that his administration will scale up conservation efforts in Turkana County in collaboration with the National Government and development partners.
In that regard, he said, “These interventions will facilitate the improvement of the Turkana County tree and forest cover, thus enriching the ecosystem for the betterment of livelihoods.”
He observed that the invasive Prosopis juliflora, which was intended to reduce the effects of desertification, had affected plant biodiversity in the ASALS by changing the ecology of the rangelands, eventually positively affecting pastoralism.
He said the County government allocated Sh. 20 million towards control and management of prosopis juliflora “Etirae” and combating the effects of climate change.
An extra Sh. 120 million was allocated towards Financing Locally Led Climate Actions (FLLOCA).
Governor Lomorukai raised an alarm of illegal destruction of indigenous trees and directed that any person who intends to engage in commercial charcoal business must get a no-objection consent from the County Executive Committee Member responsible for forestry.
County forest conservator Richard Guya underscored the importance of planting and protecting trees.
Members of the County Assembly led by Leader of Minority who is also Lokichar MCA Samuel Lomodo, echoed the governor’s call for increased trees cover in the County.
Senior County Government officials present included Deputy County secretary Joseph Nyang’a, County Executives Elizabeth Loote (Tourism), Patrick Losike (Roads) and Peter Akono (Lands).
By Peter Gitonga
