State Department Targets 5 Million Trees by End of Financial Year
Principal Secretary Caroline Karugu says the government has planted over 3.5 million trees and is targeting five million by the end of the financial year under the national reforestation programme.
Principal Secretary for East African Affairs Caroline Karugu. Photo/Courtesy
By Ruth Sang
The government seems to have upped its drive to recover forest cover and safeguard key water catchment places, with the State Department for East African Affairs pushing for planting five million trees before the end of the current financial year, and really that is the bit they are stressing.
While addressing a tree planting moment at Marania Forest, Principal Secretary for East African Affairs Caroline Karugu said that more than 3.5 million trees have already been put in the ground through a joint effort that involves the government, the Kenya Forest Service and local communities in Meru.
Karugu explained that the exercise is tied to a national reforestation push, meant to raise tree cover during the rainy season we are currently in, and also following a directive that was issued by President William Ruto.
“So far, we have planted more than 3.5 million trees, and we are targeting five million trees before the end of this financial year,” said Karugu.
She added that Meru holds a key environmental position, as one of the country’s biggest water catchment zones, feeding water supply and hydroelectric power production.
Karugu also restated the government’s promise of reaching the national target to plant 15 billion trees by 2032, as a way to fight climate change and strengthen environmental steadiness.
“The trees we plant today will protect water catchment areas and benefit future generations,” she said.
The PS further pushed communities, not just to put seedlings in the soil, but to make sure they actually survive , grow and mature , which is where most people drop the ball.
“We must shift the conversation from tree planting to tree growing. Community participation is essential in nurturing the trees after planting,” she added.
Meru County Commissioner Jacob Ouma, on his part, thanked residents for backing the initiative, noting that the county has already raised 61 million trees, even as it still faces a deficit of about 40 million trees, if they are to hit the long-term targets.
County Forest Conservator Wellington Ndaka said the campaign has taken on a cooperative method , bringing together government departments, schools, and local farmers, so both forest and general tree cover can expand.
Ndaka said that Meru currently sits at 12.8 per cent forest cover and 29 per cent tree cover, putting it among the leading counties in Kenya when it comes to tree growing efforts. He also encouraged residents to consider fruit trees for nutrition and income opportunities, and mentioned that the Kenya Forest Service has already distributed and planted more than 500,000 fruit trees across the country.
About Author
