The National Government has stepped up preparations for the Mazingira Day tree-planting challenge with an assessment of sites identified for the exercise at Kibiri Forest in Vihiga County.
The assessment team was led by Vihiga Deputy County Commissioner Linet Orina and Tiriki East Deputy County Commissioner Michael Too, who visited the forest to evaluate the preparedness of sites ahead of the national tree-growing challenge scheduled for October 10.
The team first paid a courtesy call to Vihiga County Forest Conservator Hellen Sikuku, who later accompanied officials to the identified sites.
During the meeting, Sikuku said the State Department for Forestry had proposed mobilising farmers to dig 100 tree-planting holes each and plant 100 seedlings during the challenge. She said participating farmers would receive Sh500 at the end of the exercise.
Too proposed involving learning institutions and scouts in the tree-growing exercise, noting that Tiriki East Sub-County had many schools that could provide participants.
He, however, observed that mobilising community members could be challenging because some would expect daily payment for preparatory work instead of waiting until the main event on October 10.
“The challenge in mobilising the community is that the community would want to be paid at the end of every day for the work done during the five-day preparation exercise and would be unlikely to wait until October 10, 2026, to be paid,” Too said.
Orina suggested that community members and students could be mobilised jointly to participate in preparing the sites and planting trees during the main event.
Sikuku said financial constraints were affecting preparations for the exercise, particularly site clearance and digging of planting holes.
She explained that if community members were engaged, they would mainly prepare holes for their own seedlings and might not undertake additional preparations required for areas where national and county officials would participate.
“I suggest that if we could also involve the prisoners and facilitate their fuel in preparation of the sites, it would make matters easier,” Sikuku said.
The officials, accompanied by Sikuku, then inspected two proposed sites within Kibiri Forest, namely Kaptis and Musunji outposts.
Following the assessment, most members of the team appeared to favour Musunji outpost, citing its suitability, easier preparation and better prospects for managing the tree-planting exercise.
The officials said the final selection would take into consideration the logistical requirements and preparedness needed to ensure the exercise runs smoothly.
Vihiga County is targeting to plant approximately 40,000 tree seedlings within one hour during the Mazingira Day challenge.
The exercise is part of the wider national tree-growing campaign aimed at increasing forest cover and promoting environmental conservation through coordinated tree-planting activities across the country.
The officials also discussed ways of mobilising adequate manpower and resources to prepare the sites before the main tree-planting day.
Present during the assessment were Vihiga Prisons General Duties Officer Chesebe Chepng’an and Eliakim Serenge, a representative from the Vihiga County Education Office.
By Yvonne Misango
