The Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) in collaboration with Kenya Forest Service on Thursday planted over 300 tree seedlings at the Yathrib secondary school compound.
The exercise is part of a government initiative to increase its forest cover to 30 per cent by 2032.
Speaking at the event, Garissa Township Acting Deputy County Simon Mokua said the exercise will be enhanced ahead of anticipated El Nino rains to ensure that trees planted are sustained.
He noted that before it rains, relevant government agencies and the military will be called to supply water using their trucks to water the trees before it starts raining.
"We will not leave the trees to die due to lack of water. That is why we shall reach out to the military and other agencies so that they can supply water using their trucks,” he said.
"We will be engaging the military to start supplying water to areas where we have planted trees for watering,” he said.
He called on area residents to plant more trees in their homes and farms to increase forest cover in the region.
Eng. Micheal Mugo, North Eastern regional deputy director of KURA said the agency was committed to ensuring that tree coverage is increased in the region.
“As KURA, we are committed to ensuring that tree covers across the country and particularly North Eastern region where rains are scarce and the tree cover is low,” Eng. Mugo said.
He said the agency was engaging the schools for the students to understand the importance of trees in the conservation of the environment.
The deputy director said they target to plant 900 trees in the three counties of Garissa, Wajir and Mandera in the coming days.
Nasib Mwamutsi, Garissa County Forest Conservator lauded the collaboration with KURA and the Yathrib school fraternity.
Mwamutsi said the 15 billion tree target by 2032 was set by the national government.
“We have an annual target of planting 55,000 hectares by the end of 2032. We have seedling production of 8.2 million annually and by the end of 2032 we should have produced 824 million,” he said.
He said Garissa has at least four nurseries adding that 27,000 seedlings were ready for planting in Garissa.
“We have 19 private tree nurseries with 300,000 seedlings that are ready for planting. We are advocating for tree growing and we are asking students to adopt a tree where they will be responsible for watering that tree,” Mwamutsi said.
He challenged Kenyans to plant trees at least for the country to achieve 30 per cent forest cover by 2032.
“We are calling on other stakeholders to come and support us in this tree-planting exercise,” he said.
He said seedlings are offered for free at KFS nurseries across the country
On illegal logging and charcoal burning, Mwamutsi said regular patrols are carried out to control the vice.
“We are conducting patrols but charcoal production is happening in communal and private farms. We are on our toes to ensure charcoal burning is controlled,” he said.