Chiefs In Kiambu To Lead Tree Planting Drive On Fridays

KIAMBU, Kenya, Dec 18 – Kiambu Sub County has officially launched a tree planting programme in which chiefs together with youths and Nyumba Kumi will be planting trees every Friday to increase forest coverage in the area.

The area Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Titus Macharia started the exercise on Friday at the chief’s office in Kiambu town.

Speaking during the launch, Macharia who was flanked by area Assistant County Commissioner Vivian Mbaya and other local leaders said Kiambu’s tree coverage stands at 18 per cent which is higher than the country’s 10 per cent.

“In Kiambu we aim to increase to 30 per cent in the next 10 years,” he said.

Macharia emphasised the need for all to engage in tree planting to combat environmental degradation and climate change.

“I would love to encourage people to take part in tree planting programmes. At County level here in Kiambu and also countrywide we have been having cases of drought. Tree planting programme will reduce climate change effects and there will not be many cases of food shortage if we continue engaging in planting trees,” he said.

Macharia said the exercise will now see nine (9) Kiambu Sub-County chiefs conducting tree planting exercises every Friday of the week with the youths and through the Nyumba Kumi Initiative.

The ACC said they are working in collaboration with the CDF office and the Red Cross to facilitate the flow of tree planting and she thanked the DCC for making sure that the process runs smoothly.

Kenya Forest Service (KFS) in Kiambu will be issuing the Sub-County with free trees; indigenous and exotic trees, from their tree nurseries which will be planted at the police stations, in schools, homesteads and also next to rivers.

President Ruto announced plans to grow 15 billion new trees as part of his climate change mitigation agenda and has been urging all Kenyans to plant about a hundred trees each as the ultimate solution to combating drought through conservation of the environment.