The government has announced an ambitious plan to ensure that 20 percent of the trees planted in its nationwide tree-growing program are fruit trees. This initiative aims to enhance food security and support livelihoods across the country.
Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change & Forestry, Soipan Tuya, disclosed this strategy during the second week of the tree planting exercise in Bairunyi, Chogoria Forest Station, Tharaka Nithi County, where she highlighted that the government is intensifying efforts to propagate seedlings to meet this target.
Additionally, another 20 percent of the trees will be fodder trees, specifically planted in arid and semi-arid regions.
CS Tuya emphasized the importance of a collaborative, multi-government approach involving community participation to achieve the government’s tree-planting targets.
“This initiative is not solely for the government; it requires the collective effort of the entire society. Each Cabinet Secretary has an allocated site, and each ministry will manage tree planting in two counties,” she stated.
Stressing the shift from merely planting to growing and nurturing trees to maturity, CS Tuya urged Kenyans to commit to the long-term care of the trees. The program will expand in the coming weeks across the 31 gazetted hills in Tharaka Nithi County.
Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei, who supervised the planting of 10,000 trees at Chogoria Forest Station, underscored the government’s focus on reclaiming degraded lands. He assured that sufficient seedlings would be prepared for planting during the rainy seasons, especially in dry land areas.
“We are committed to achieving the 15 billion tree target within 10 years. Regular tree planting and protection efforts will help mitigate climate change,” Koskei noted.
The event also saw participation from Maara Member of Parliament Kareke Mbiuki, Deputy Governor Wilson Nyaga, and Kenya Wildlife Service Director General Dr. Erustus Kanga.
