First Lady Rachel Ruto has said her office will work closely with the Kenya Forest Service to improve forest cover across the country.
Through her "Mama Doing Good' initiative, Mama Rachel she will lead a tree-planting exercise that will see millions of trees planted.
The First Lady said this in Kakamega where she adopted 500 acres of Shikusa block, Kakamega forest and had over 30,000 trees planted.
"My office will plant over 500 million trees to complement government efforts of planting 15 billion by 2032," she said on Thursday.
The First Lady said she will also partner with Community Forests Associations across the country, assuring Kenyans that no forest will be converted for any other development activities.
Mama Rachel urged governors' and MPs' spouses to join the tree planting exercise, saying the move would attract rainfall and thus enable farmers to produce enough food.
She was accompanied by the spouses of five county governors, Janet Barasa (Kakamega), Betty Mutai (Kericho), Lina Chelilim (Uasin Gishu), Emilie Nyaribo (Nyamira) and Margaret Lusaka (Bungoma).
The women leaders promised to lead the initiative in their respective counties and also initiate fruit tree planting programs.
Also present at the event was Kakamega Senator Bonny Khalwale who said the initiative will boost the country’s environmental sector.
Khalwale told off leaders claiming that the first lady's initiative will lead to the forest being grabbed for other purposes.
"Those saying the first lady's initiative will lead to the forest being grabbed for other purposes, that is false. The government's vision is for the country to achieve 30 per cent tree cover by 2032," Khalwale said.
Kakamega Women representative, Elsie Muhanda compared the initiative to the one that was led by late Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai.
Kenya Forest Conservator Alex Lemarkoko lauded the first lady for considering Kakamega forest saying it was the only tropical forest left in the country.
They said the exercise was a concerted effort to plant more trees to meet the target of 15 billion trees in the next 10 years.
Other leaders present were Environmental Chief Administrative Secretary Jackline Lukano, Waters Towers chairman Rashid Echesa and Commission of Revenue Allocation Hadija Nganyi.
