The Kenya Forest Service staff from the headquarters in Karura, Nairobi, on Tuesday participated in a tree planting exercise in a bid to support the 15 billion trees to be planted by 2032.
In the event, which happened on Tuesday, the KFS officers were joined by a group of youths from Nairobi at Kinale forest station in Lari Sub-county in Kiambu County.
The Chief Conservator of Forests, Alex Lemarkoko, who led the exercise, said it was important to engage youth in tree growing to support the national goal.
He said President William Ruto set the goal of achieving 30 percent tree cover by 2032, so as to replant the degraded forests.
According to KFS data, the forests were destroyed many years ago when trees were stolen and others harvested without being replanted, leaving many hectares open.
However, the Chief Conservator said the strategies they have been employing have seen continuous tree planting throughout the country.
Lemarkoko revealed that the service will work with the young people, owing to the enthusiasm they displayed, to plant trees countrywide.
”As of now, the young people need to participate towards the development of this country by doing activities such as tree planting. We are pleased to host them today and we look forward to having them plant trees in different forests in this country,” Lemarkoko said.
He noted their commitment and enthusiasm to participate in environmental conservation was an indicator that they mean well for this country.
Also present at the event was Hillary Kibiwott, the newly appointed ambassador for the 15 Billion Trees campaign, after he planted over 23,000 trees within 24 hours.
Kibiwott encouraged the young people and the Kinale Community Forest Association (CFA) to conserve the environment, saying that it was a shared responsibility between the community, the government, environmentalists, and other stakeholders since it serves all people from all walks of life.
The visiting youth leader, Anthony Karumba, affirmed that the young people were ready to support the exercise at any time and at any place, so as to leave as many trees planted as possible.
”We appreciate KFS for creating opportunities for our youth participation in tree growing. We continue to look and nurture for more opportunities in the future,” Karumba added.
Kinale CFA secretary Njinu Warwathe applauded the KFS for supporting the community with the Plantation Establishment and Livelihood Improvement Scheme (PELIS) program, which replaced the Shamba System, where the communities are allocated plots of land in the forest where they cultivate food crops together with trees planted.
”When we are cultivating our pieces of land, we cultivate for those trees. If a tree dries up, we replace it with another one, thus giving hope for the trees planted,” he said.
Warwathe said PELIS has seen more production of food crops, thus fighting hunger, creating jobs, and enlarging the food supply in the market.
According to the KFS, 24,000 trees were planted during the exercise.
Other officials present at the event included members of the senior management led by Zipporah Toroitich, Lucy Kiboi, and Commandant Adan Mohamed, among others.
Others were Central region conservator Monica Ndirangu, Kiambu county forest conservator Muriithi Matindi, and Kinale assistant county commissioner Rebecca Chepkemoi, along with chiefs and assistant chiefs.
Chepkemoi thanked the members of the CFA for participating in supporting government activities since it was implementing them so that the country can grow and the community can benefit.
