More Kirinyaga residents are heeding to the government’s call of planting trees to conserve the environment, Kirinyaga Central assistant county commissioner Charity Gatombu has said.
She said about 3,000 trees are being planted at the location level in the subcounty per week.
This is in line with the state's plan to grow 15 billion trees and raise the country's tree cover to 30 per cent by 2032.
Statistics from the forestry department in Kirinyaga indicate that the county has a forest cover of 30.39 per cent and a tree cover of 23.62 per cent.
Gatombu said the commitment has been fired up by various corporate organisations that are partnering with the local communities in greening public institutions, forests, learning institutions and other sites.
“The assessment report we have in our possession from our administrators at the grassroots level indicates that tree growing is steadily taking an upward trajectory owing to the sensitisation carried out and the value that trees are meant to contribute to our environment.”
“This is encouraging because when the locals grow the trees willingly, that means we will beat the set target just as we hopefully did the previous national target of increasing the forest cover by 10 per cent.”
Gatombu said environmental conservation should be a communal and a personal responsibility as the effects of climate change are not selective but are affecting everybody, social status notwithstanding.
“For every tree you cut, ensure you replace it with three tree seedlings. This will not only ensure that there is replacement, but will also ensure that there is continuity and sustainability as far as roles played by all trees are concerned.”
The administrator spoke on Friday during the planting of 5,000 tree seedlings at Kaitheri County Polytechnic and Kerugoya Boys High School.
The event was organised by various partners, including Equity Bank and Kirinyaga county’s Huduma Centre.
Simon Kanyingi, the Kerugoya’s Equity Bank branch manager, said they will continue conserving the environment through tree growing.
He said Equity Bank will plant 35 million trees to celebrate 35 years of service to the public.
Kanyingi said they have since planted trees ay various learning institutions in the county as well as various tea and coffee factories.
Kirinyaga Huduma Centre manager Rhoda Mwanza exuded confidence the country will meet the target as most Kenyans have positively responded to the government’s clarion call.
She said in partnership with various stakeholders, she has been leading her staff to plant trees at the grassroots levels.
Kaitheri Polytechnic principal Lawrence Mugo pledged to ensure that the tree seedlings planted at the institution are nurtured.
As an institution, he said, they will participate in tree planting once every year as a way of enlightening the students on the importance of tree growing and environmental conservation.