Kapsabet, Nandi County – July 22nd, 2023: Nandi County is making significant strides towards meeting its tree-growing target of 18 million trees annually, aligning with the presidential directive to plant 15 billion trees by 2032 and Kenya’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 32% in the same year.
A commendable initiative organized by Mama Doing Good, in collaboration with First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto, saw the planting of 10,000 trees in Kimondi Forest, Chesumei Constituency. The event also included the planting of 200 fruit trees at Kimondi Primary School, marking another step forward in the “Mama Fruit Gardens” project. The First Lady aspires to establish fruit gardens in every public primary school across the country.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. John Chumo, CEO of Mama Doing Good, encouraged women in the Kimondi Forest ecosystem to seize economic opportunities linked to environmental conservation and sustainable income generation. He urged members of the Joyful Women Organisation to start commercial tree nurseries and contribute to the ongoing ecological conservation efforts.
Festus Ngeno, the Principal Secretary of Environment and Climate Change, expressed appreciation for the cycling team that covered a 52-kilometer distance from Eldoret to Kimondi Forest. The initiative promotes cycling as an eco-friendly mode of transportation, a key strategy to reduce carbon emissions. Currently, road transport ranks as the third-most significant contributor to carbon emissions in Kenya.
During the event, Gitonga Mugambi, Principal Secretary of the State Department of Forestry, clarified that the recent directive on tree harvesting applies solely to plantation forests, sparing indigenous trees from such activities.
Looking to safeguard the integrity of forests, Kenya Forest Service Acting Chief Conservator, Alex Lemarkoko, announced the deployment of drone technology for forest surveillance. The move aims to prevent illegal harvesting of indigenous trees, and he encouraged institutions to adopt and restore degraded areas of public forests in support of the government’s initiative to increase forest cover.
As Nandi County makes notable strides towards achieving its tree planting and carbon emission reduction goals, the region sets an inspiring example for the rest of the nation in environmental conservation and sustainability.
