Nandi County is on track to meet the tree-growing target of 18 million trees per year in support of the presidential directive to plant 15 billion trees by 2032 and the commitment by Kenya to reduce carbon emissions by 32pc in 2032.
10,000 trees were planted Saturday in Kimondi Forest, Chesumei Constituency in Nandi County, in an initiative organized by Mama Doing Good that delivers programs for the First Lady, Mama Rachel Ruto.
A further 200 fruit trees were planted in Kimondi Primary School as part of the ongoing “Mama Fruit Gardens”, an initiative the First Lady hopes to establish a fruit garden for every public primary school in Kenya.
Dr. John Chumo, the Chief Executive Officer of Mama Doing Good, urged women in the Kimondi Forest ecosystem to take advantage of the economic opportunities availed by environmental conservation to earn a sustainable income.
He encouraged members of the Joyful Women Organisation to start commercial tree nurseries and contribute to the ongoing ecological conservation efforts.
Festus Ngeno, the Principal Secretary of Environment and Climate Change lauded the cycling team, which cycled 52 kilometres from Eldoret to Kimondi Forest. Cycling is cited as one of the ways Kenya will reduce its carbon emissions by substituting vehicles with bicycles.
Road transport is the third-most significant contributor to carbon emissions. Speaking during the function, the State Department of Forestry’s Principal Secretary, Gitonga Mugambi, clarified that the recent directive on tree harvesting applies only to plantation forests, not indigenous trees.
Kenya Forest Service Acting Chief Conservator Alex Lemarkoko added that they would be deploying drone technology for surveillance of forests to ensure that no indigenous tree harvesting occurs.
Further, he invited institutions present to adopt and rehabilitate degraded areas of public forests to support the government’s directive to increase forest cover.
