Trans Nzoia administration has committed to planting over one million trees annually to help achieve the national government’s target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032. The county’s CEC for Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate, Patrick Gacheru, made the announcement during a tree-planting event in Waitaluk ward, Kiminini sub-county.
He said the exercise is a buildup activity for the county tree-planting day, which will be held on May 10th in Sikhendu ward.
The county government will roll out several initiatives to involve residents in tree planting to meet the target, and Governor George Natembeya’s administration is committed to increasing forest cover in the county to over 20 percent.
Gacheru urged residents to work together with the government to ensure the target is met and to plant fruit trees like avocado in their homesteads. He also encouraged them to ensure that the trees grow to maturity.
The county director for environment, Godfrey Wekesa, and ward administrator Joseph Emoit said the exercise is part of the county’s plan to fight climate change and promote a tree-planting culture among school-going children.
Area member of the county assembly, Furah Lusweti, called for more measures to ensure the trees being planted grow to maturity, and for more budgetary allocation to the Department of Environment to deal with climate change issues.
Lusweti also thanked the county government and the World Bank’s FLOOCA program for involving the community in averting climate change in the county. He encouraged the public, especially youths, and women, to venture into tree seedlings planting, adding that the county has a shortage of seedlings.
He promised to set aside 2% of the ward-specific funds in the next financial year to support youth and women groups in environmental matters, including tree seedlings propagation in the Waitaluk ward.
