National Tree Planting Day
Education Cabinet Secretary Dr. Ezekiel Machogu led a tree planting exercise in Kitale township forest block 4 during the National tree planting campaign on Friday, 10th May 2024. The CS challenged the public to engage in continuous tree planting in an effort to help mitigate the adverse effects of climate change brought about by human activities such as deforestation and poor farming activities.
Speaking in Kitale Trans Nzoia County where he took the government’s ‘15 billion trees growing agenda’ during the national tree planting day, Machogu encouraged the residents to help in restoring the Country’s forest cover noting that activities such as deforestation has affected many forests in the country citing Kitale Forest where several acres were lacking trees.
“Today is a special day for Kenyans, designed not for us to rest but to collectively reflect on where we are as a country on matters environment, it is a day for action,” he said as he cautioned against cultivation along the river banks and invasion of riparian land which he said has resulted to many of the serious climatic effects the country is facing.
The CS said in order to achieve the 15 billion trees target, the government has adopted a multi-agency cooperation approach as a key element towards the achievement of the initiative. He advised the public to plant indigenous trees along river streams as a way of maintaining water supply instead of eucalyptus which he explained is a heavy water consumer.
Machogu urged the residents to ensure that they nurture the trees to maturity after planting and not to leave it as a responsibility of the Government. He noted that the national government and Trans Nzoia county government had established a good working relationship which he added will help drive the development agenda of the region to another level.
Machogu was accompanied by several Officials from the Ministry of Education who donated 3000 seedlings for the exercise. According to the TransNzoia County forester Elli Tinda, the County has an annual target of 11.9 million trees a total of three million trees have been planted since the President officially launched the exercise last year.