Government targets 17.24 million trees in Mazingira Day drive

The government plans to grow 17.24 million trees across the country today, Saturday, October 10, 2026 as the country intensifies efforts to restore degraded landscapes and achieve its ambitious target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.

Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa said the national Mazingira Day campaign would bring together government institutions, communities, educational institutions and private sector players in a coordinated effort to promote environmental conservation.

Barasa said the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and Community Forest Associations would mobilise more than 51,000 community planters at 79 sites in 31 counties to plant over five million trees.

The national celebrations will be held in Trans Nzoia County, where President William Ruto is expected to lead the Presidential Challenge and national tree-growing ceremony.

The event will begin at Konoin Primary School in Shikhendu before proceeding to Kenya Seed Company’s Elgon Downs Farm in Endebess.

“On the same day, village elders will plant 100 trees in each of the 77,252 villages across the country; the Kenya Prisons Service will plant one million trees in 68 facilities; and the National Youth Service will plant 1.5 million trees,” Barasa said.

Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions, as well as basic education institutions, will also participate in the nationwide exercise.

The CS said the campaign reflected a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, with ministries, departments and agencies working alongside local communities to expand the country’s tree cover.

She added that seedlings had been distributed to designated locations and planting sites prepared ahead of the celebrations.

To strengthen accountability, the government will use digital tools, including the JazaMiti platform, to record and monitor the exercise.

“Every tree will be counted, geo-tagged and certified. This is accountability in action. We are building systems that ensure every seedling planted is tracked for survival and impact,” she said.

Barasa said Trans Nzoia had been selected to host the national event because of its consistent leadership in environmental stewardship, demonstrating the benefits of collaboration between county authorities, communities and national institutions.

The celebrations will be held under the theme, “Our Environment, Our Responsibility: Collective Action for Tree Growing and Environmental Stewardship.” Mazingira Week began on October 5 and ends on Saturday, October 10, 2026.

Barasa emphasised that the initiative would extend beyond the commemorative day, with the government implementing 90-day seedling survival checks, quarterly tracking of pledges and sustained support for Community Forest Associations and farmer groups.

She said environmental restoration remained a cornerstone of national development, particularly in protecting water towers, soils, biodiversity and climate resilience.

However, she urged Kenyans to take personal responsibility for environmental conservation by planting and nurturing trees, supporting community initiatives and participating in clean-up activities.

“Plant a tree. Adopt a seedling. Join a community clean-up. Support a school or a Community Forest Association. Encourage your neighbour. Teach your children,” she said.

Barasa said collective participation was essential to ensuring that tree-growing initiatives delivered lasting environmental benefits for current and future generations.