- Tuya said President William Ruto's administration has set a new ambition of realizing 30 percent tree cover by 2032.
- The CS said, in line with President Ruto's directive to plant 15 billion trees, the government is supporting tree-planting initiatives and partnering with stakeholders in environmental conservation.
Image: ABDIKADIR CHARI
Marsabit County residents have been urged to embrace the culture of planting trees.
Residents solely rely on trees as their alternative sources of income to raise money for school fees and provide for their families.
In her two-day visit to Marsabit county, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Soipan Tuya said tree planting is not only beneficial to the environment but helps in reducing the devastating impacts of climate change.
"Tree planting plays an important role in addressing impacts of climate change and mitigating effects of climate change besides reducing greenhouse gas emissions," she said
She urged young people, individuals and organizations to cultivate the habit of planting more trees, especially in degraded areas to protect the environment.
Tuya said President William Ruto's administration has set a new ambition of realizing 30 percent tree cover by 2032.
"The extreme weather we have been experiencing is attributed to climate change and the consequences of our actions. It's high time we take seriously the issues of conserving our environment," said Tuya.
"I encourage residents to plant fruit trees since it serves like trees and fruits."
The CS said, in line with President Ruto's directive to plant 15 billion trees, the government is supporting tree-planting initiatives and partnering with stakeholders in environmental conservation.
She noted that engaging in activities such as planting trees contributes achievement of sustainable development goals on environmental conservation and the promotion of a green economy.
Tuya said the Government plans to fence all gazetted forests across the county to safeguard them from encroachment and other human destructive activities.
She said that the fence would help to sustain the gains made through ecosystem restoration effects.
"The Government wouldn't succeed without collaboration and good relations with the communities," she said.
Image: ABDIKADIR CHARI
She noted that the greatest threat to the forest was encroachment and illegal logging saying if the trend continues, people's livelihood will be endangered because of the diminishing water supply.
Tuya advised residents adjacent to the forest to form community forest associations so as to manage the forest resources promising that more sustainable benefits would be enjoyed.
The CS revealed that Kenya Forestry Research Initiatives had been tasked to undertake ecological species to ensure that Kenyans grow trees best suited for their ecological zones.
She said thousands of young people will be recruited in the restoration of forest conservation and her ministry through KFS was in the process of recruiting youth.
She promised transparency in the exercise and added that priority will be given to locals.
"Green Army are the youth who will assist the Government in the propagation of seedlings and growing of trees."
She said the Green Army brigades will be pivotal in the forest restoration plan and restore degraded forests to sustainable management of our trees.
The cabinet secretary said the Government was keen on mapping and fencing all wetlands areas across the county so as to use their water for tree-growing activities.
On the provision of adequate seedlings to support tree planting drives, the CS said her ministry was working with several state and non-state actors to intensify the propagation of trees and seedlings across the country.
She warned that the government is not ready to lose an inch of land to the people living along the forest.
The CS called on the community to not only plant trees but to adopt the trees to ensure it grows to maturity.
Marsabit County woman representative Naomi Jillo Wako called for enhanced security patrols around the Marsabit forest which she said had become a hiding place for armed bandits who maim and kill locals.
She said there is a need to continue to raise awareness of communities on matters of wetlands and the importance to conserve, restore and protect all wetlands areas across the county.
Wako urged residents to desist from activity that might affect peaceful coexistence saying the development would be realized if there was peace.
She argued that there was no need for societal conflicts and that all citizens should be united to preach peace, love and coexist harmoniously.
She encouraged parents to invest in the education of their girl-child education to give them a strong foundation for prosperity and insisted that there is a need for children to be provided not only with accessible but quality education.
She called upon parents and guardians to value the education of girls by giving them an equal chance with boys and asked them to increase their engagement with their child's education in order to improve education standards.
NEMA'S Director General Mamo B. Mamo decried the increasing encroachment of the forest in the county and called for concerted efforts to conserve the county's forest cover.