Environment and forestry CS Aden Duale will on Friday, October 18, lead a tree planting exercise in Maragoli Hills Forest Vihiga County.
The CS said the tree planting exercise aims at combating deforestation and promoting environmental restoration across Kenya.
He added that the exercise will restore the highly degraded 1,000-acre forest, which has faced severe degradation.
The tree planting exercise event is part of a government-led weekly tree-planting program to combat deforestation.
Duale will be joined by key officials including Principal Secretaries Festus Ng'eno and Gitonga Mugambi, local communities and stakeholders in the environmental conservation mission.
The government’s contribution to reviewing Maragoli Hills Forest is an initiative for environmental conservation targets and supports Kenya's long-term climate change mitigation strategies.
They continued to state that the tree-planting exercise aims to not only restore the ecological balance in the region but also involve the local community and partners in the broader climate action and reforestation agenda spearheaded by the Ministry.
Duale has continued to lead critical environmental initiatives aimed at restoring degraded ecosystems.
Alongside the tree planting efforts in Maragoli Hills Forest, he recently engaged with elders from refugee host communities in Wajir County.
He was accompanied by Wajir South MP Mohamed Adow.
They had discussions focusing on addressing deforestation caused by excessive wood fuel harvesting in the area.
Duale has also drawn attention to the worrying deforestation in refugee-hosting areas such as Wajir and Garissa Counties.
This degradation, which has been driven by excessive harvesting of trees for fuel, has worsened environmental conditions, exposing residents to the impacts of climate change.
The CS called on international organizations like the UNHCR to provide alternative fuel sources to refugees to curb further destruction of the ASAL ecosystem.
The Environment and Forestry Ministry is urgently implementing measures to halt this degradation and restore the fragile ASAL (Arid and Semi-Arid Lands) ecosystem, ensuring long-term environmental sustainability.