Efforts to green Homa Bay County have received a boost after the office of the Woman Representative Joyce Osogo partnered with the Kenya Forest Service to plant trees.
Osogo said the partnership targets to plant more than 50,000 trees in schools and other public places across the county of Homa Bay.
She said that the joint efforts will ensure improved tree cover in the county to mitigate climate change.
“We want to emulate the late Prof Wangari Maathai who spearheaded environmental conservation. The initiative is meant to enable the country achieve its target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032,” Osogo said.
She said through the initiative, public and private schools in Homa Bay will be given tree seedlings for learners to plant.
Speaking during the launch of the second edition of the programme at Kasimba Primary School in Kasipul constituency, Ms Osogo said the initiative also targets planting of trees in chief camps and churches.
“We will ensure any open public spaces are planted with trees. Each school will receive 100 fruit seedlings for learners to plant.” she said.
Osogo said the programme would economically empower the youth who establish tree nurseries which they sell to earn a living.
She expressed concerns that Homa Bay has a forest cover of a paltry 3.1 per cent.
The Ministry of Environment Coordinator, Susan Boet, and Homa Bay County Ecosystem Conservator, Sharon Cheluget, encouraged locals to plant trees to meet President William Ruto’s 15 billion trees target agenda.
She said the government will only achieve the goal if Kenyans join hands in supporting the initiative.
“The Ministry has donated 100,000 seedlings in Homa Bay to support the initiative. The seedlings have been distributed across the county during the second edition of the programme,” Boet.
The Coordinator said they gave out at least 30,000 fruit seedlings to improve food security.
“Others are exotic and indigenous tree seedlings. We encourage farmers to support the government by planting trees on their farms.” She said.
She said the government has developed an application called jaza miti that environmentalists can use to track what has been planted.
Cheluget said tree planting should be made a routine exercise.
She said people should plant trees as a way of marking different activities.
“Let’s make planting of trees a habit for better environmental conservation,” Cheluget said.
By Davis Langat
