President William Ruto on Friday led a nationwide tree-planting campaign in Kiambicho Forest in Maragùa, Mùrang’a County.
Speaking at Karua grounds in Maragua after planting trees, the President said the day was set aside by the Cabinet in honor of those who lost their lives as a result of the floods that have ravaged various parts of the country.
Planting and growing trees, he pointed out, is also the solution that will mitigate the effects of climate change, which include devastating droughts and destructive floods.
He explained that the government has set a target for Kenyans to plant 200 million trees across the country.
President Ruto announced that the exercise will continue for the next six months beginning on Monday, adding that Cabinet Secretaries would be at the forefront.
Every ministry, he said, will have a day in which staff of various departments and agencies will plant trees in the specific areas they have been assigned.
“Planting of trees will continue each day beginning next Monday with each ministry participating and so that we have a collective effort in conserving and restoring the environment,” President Ruto said.
On Monday, he announced, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi will lead the tree-planting exercise. This will be followed by all the other ministries until the government achieves the target of 15 billion trees by 2032.
The Head of State regretted that the country has been hit by droughts in the recent past and now floods have wreaked havoc across the country.
He said the government was keen on increasing the country’s forest cover from 12 percent to 30 percent.
“Climate change is a reality we live with every day. This is why we stopped all other business today to plant trees,” the President said. “We must look for a solution to climate change, and the solution is planting and growing trees.”
At the Kiambicho Forest Station, President Ruto, First Lady Rachel Ruto, leaders, and residents planted 20,000 trees in a 16-hectare piece of land.
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