President William Ruto is today spearheading national tree-planting exercise in Kiu Wetlands in Makindu, Makueni county, in line with the newest national public holiday declared by Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on November 7, 2023.
Today is the inaugural celebration of the holiday.
The government hopes to plant at least 100 million seedlings during the exercise.
Cabinet Secretaries are also slated to take the lead in a similar exercise across different counties as part of the government’s ambitious goal to plant 15 billion trees by 2032.
Similarly, the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs) are supporting the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry in coordinating the exercise which is part of Kenya’s Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Programme.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya has urged Kenyans to contribute to the initiative by planting at least two seedlings each during the exercise.
“Please take part in this noble cause because it benefits us all.” Tuya urged.
She urged Kenyans to utilize a mobile application called ‘Jaza Miti’ to document all tree-growing activities. She stressed the step is crucial for the ministry to monitor and track the progress made toward the ambitious goal of planting 100 million trees today alone.
In support of this endeavor, the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) and Kenya Forest Service (KFS) have made available 150 million tree seedlings distributed across all 47 counties.
The renewed efforts reflect Kenya’s commitment to achieving the United Nations-recommended minimum of 10 per cent forest cover per country, a target enshrined in national law.
Despite falling short of the initial goal to surpass the 10 per cent mark by 2022 during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration, the national forest cover has increased to 8.8 per cent from 5.9 per cent in 2018, according to the National Forest Resources Assessment (NFRA) report released in 2022.
The NFRA report also estimated Kenya’s overall tree cover, defined as tree patches outside designated forest areas exclusive of forest cover, at 12.1 per cent.
