Gov’t to Plant 71 Million Fruit Trees in Schools Ahead of Mazingira Day
President William Ruto would lead the national events on Friday, October 10, with Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, and heads of government agencies.
The fruit trees are the government's first option because they have a number of long-term benefits, according to Barasa. Photo/ Courtesy
By Juliet Jerotich
The government has initiated a mega program to have over 71.14 million fruit tree seedlings planted in 35,570 public and private primary schools before this year’s Mazingira Day festivities as part of its broader project to revive the environment and improve food security.
This was announced by Attorney-General Deborah Barasa while serving as Cabinet Secretary for Environment, and it was said that the program is set to advocate for environmental care among young school children and improve nutrition and livelihood in schools.
“Mazingira Day this year will be celebrated under the theme ‘Citizen-Centric Tree Planting and Environmental Protection’, which is calling for all Kenyans to own up the responsibility of guarding our environment,” CS Barasa added.
She revealed that President William Ruto would lead the national events on Friday, October 10, with Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, and heads of government agencies. All of them will participate in tree planting and cleaning activities at their former primary schools as a gesture of returning what was given to them.
“We are encouraging all Kenyans to revisit their former schools to plant a fruit tree and help clean the surroundings,” Barasa urged. “Schools are where our journeys began — the roots of our nation. By planting fruit trees there, we’re not only restoring the environment but also nourishing future generations.”
In the scheme, each school will be tasked with planting at least 2,000 fruit trees, and additional seedlings will also be provided to neighboring communities to increase the coverage. The fruit trees are the government’s first option because they have a number of long-term benefits, according to Barasa.
“Fruit trees are life-giving — they feed, shade, and sustain,” she said. “They give our children food, earn money for schools and families, and empower women and youth through agribusiness opportunities.”
For successful rollout, the National Youth Service (NYS) will expand and provide the seedlings across the country at a highly subsidized rate of KSh 150 per seedling. The collection points will be publicly announced in the near future to allow ease of access for schools, ministries, and community organizations.
As part of their contribution to the initiative, each Cabinet and Principal Secretary has also been directed to purchase and donate seedlings to their former schools.
CS Barasa noted that the project supports the success of the government’s 15-billion tree-planting initiative, launched to combat climate change and restore lost ecosystems. “We have planted more than a billion trees since the campaign began,” she announced, further stating that the second campaign will further drive Kenya towards a greener and sustainable future.
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