The Ministry of Interior has today led the tree planting in the North Eastern region which aims to plant 300,000.
CS Kithure Kindiki on Monday led the exercise in Garissa county, where he was joined by Governor Nadhif Jama, National Police Service Principal Administrative Secretary Bernice Sialaal Lemedeket, National Administration secretary Beverly Opwora and other senior national and county government officials.
He was assigned the role of coordinating the national tree-growing exercise in five counties; Garissa, Mandera, Wajir, Turkana, and Marsabit.
Internal Security PS Raymond Omollo led the exercise in Marsabit, Correctional Services PS Salome Muhia-Beacco was manning the exercise in Turkana, while county commissioners were in Mandera and Wajir launched the tree planting program in their respective counties on behalf of the CS.
More than 300,000 tree seedlings will be planted in the North Eastern region, with a target of 100,000 tree seedlings in each of the three counties; Garissa, Mandera and Wajir.
Each of the 441 chiefs in the region will coordinate the planting and growing of at least 680 trees in their locations.
CS Kindiki noted that the ministry had defined climate change as one of the five major security threats facing our Kenya today.
The other four include terrorism, banditry and livestock rustling, trade, use and abuse of illicit alcohol, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and cultural, religious and political extremism.
He noted that the perennial friction pitting farmers against pastoralists, often resulting in loss of lives, injury and destruction of property is a consequence of scramble for limited resources due to climate change.
"We have an individual and collective patriotic duty to conserve the environment and reverse the situation by planting and growing trees," Kindiki said.