First Lady Launches 1 Million Trees Initiative Targeting Water Shed Areas
The First Lady has launched a partnership between The Nature Conservancy and her office to collaborate in the planting of 1 million trees along the watershed area in Kaptagat.
The exercise, organized by the Eldoret-Iten Water Fund, saw 13,000 trees planted and a “Mama Fruit Garden” established in the nearby Kiebor Primary School. So far, 400,000 trees have been planted in the Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet watersheds, and the remaining 600,000 seedlings will be planted gradually during the rainy season.
The partnership is supported by various stakeholders, including the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the International Fund for Agriculture and Development (IFAD), Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company (ELDOWAS), and local community forest associations.
The First Lady also urged residents to switch from firewood and charcoal to clean fuels to reduce deforestation and exposure to household pollution, which is estimated to affect more than 23,000 Kenyans annually.
The event also saw the donation of 50,000 tree seedlings to local communities in support of the First Lady’s goal of planting 500 million trees by 2032. This will contribute to President William Ruto’s call to plant 15 billion trees by 2032 and increase Kenya’s tree cover by over 30 percent.
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