The Principal Secretary (PS) for Transport, Mohamed Daghar, has pledged to spearhead efforts to restore Mombasa’s natural beauty by reintroducing fruit trees that once lined the city’s streets and alleys but have since vanished due to rapid urbanisation.
Speaking during the Mazingira Day celebrations at his former school, MM Shah Primary, located near the Nyali Bridge, Daghar reminisced about his childhood days when he and his friends would pick fruits from jackfruit plants, Jujube trees and Jambolan plums on their way home.
Unfortunately, the flourishing trees with leafy canopies no longer exist in the Port City as they have been swallowed by concrete as a result of the expansion of the City roads and also human activities.
“Those are the indigenous trees in this Coastal town, particularly Mombasa. We want to plant fruit trees in the entire city so that when you come back, you will see how Mombasa used to be in the early 1990s and 2000s, when we used to have all these beautiful, flower-filled trees in this beautiful coastal city of Mombasa,” said the PS.
He called for concerted efforts to restore the Port City to its former glory through the scaling up of tree planting and to support the government’s target of 15 billion trees by 2032.
“I am here at my former Primary School, MM Shah Primary School, to plant and show the importance of meeting the target and planting trees in this country as per the government directive,” he explained.
The PS noted that the Port City boasts a tree coverage of 23.75 percent, but more needs to be done to increase the number.
“So far, we have planted over 31 million trees here in Mombasa. Our annual target is 750,000 trees, but we must make sure that we restore the glory of all types of trees,” stated the PS.
He observed that the entire Coastal region, from Vanga in Kwale County to Kiunga in Lamu County is doing well in mangrove restoration and conservation.
Mangroves play a pivotal role in carbon sequestration as they capture a substantial amount of carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and then trap and store them in their carbon-rich flooded soils for millennia.
“In fact, our target this year was 50,000; we have well surpassed that target here in Mombasa in collaboration with the Kenya Ports Authority. As I am speaking right now, KPA is actually receiving an award in Japan relating to issues of environmental sustainability,” he said.
Later, Daghar visited Mbheni Primary School, where he joined parents, teachers, and learners in a tree-planting exercise.
He encouraged students to stay focused on their studies and work towards achieving their career dreams.
The PS was accompanied by County Commissioner Mohamed Nur and Senior Officials from the Kenya Railways Corporation, Kenya Ports Authority, the National Transport and Safety Authority, and Lapsset Corridor Development Authority.
By Sadik Hassan
