The government, in collaboration with the Kenya Forest Service and the Meru community, has planted more than 3.5 million trees under an accelerated national reforestation programme aimed at boosting environmental conservation and protecting water catchment areas, Principal Secretary for East African Affairs Caroline Karugu has said.
Speaking during a tree-planting exercise at Marania Forest in Meru County, Karugu said the initiative was in line with a presidential directive to take advantage of the ongoing rains to increase tree cover across the country.
She noted that Meru County remains a critical water catchment area that supports both water supply and hydroelectric power generation.
“Our State Department has been directed to lead an accelerated tree-planting programme. So far, we have planted more than 3.5 million trees and we have a target of five million trees before the end of this financial year,” said Karugu.
She said President William Ruto’s administration was committed to environmental sustainability through the national target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.
“The trees we plant today may not benefit us directly, but they will benefit future generations, protect water catchment areas and help us build sustainable cities downstream,” she added.
Karugu also emphasized the need to shift focus from merely planting trees to ensuring their survival and growth.
“It is important to move this conversation from tree planting to tree growing. Communities have a critical role in nurturing the trees after planting, which is why the shamba system is important because it promotes community involvement and sustainability,” she said.
Meru County Commissioner Jacob Ouma praised residents for supporting the initiative, saying the county had made significant progress towards its annual targets.
“The national government administration is at the centre of the campaign to ensure the 15 billion trees target is achieved. Meru County has been directed to plant 37 million trees annually, and so far we have grown 61 million trees,” said Ouma.
He, however, noted that the county still faced a shortfall of about 40 million trees, which authorities aim to address within the set implementation period.
County Forest Conservator Wellington Ndaka said the tree-growing campaign had adopted a “whole community, whole government approach” to increase forest and tree cover in the county.
Ndaka said Meru currently has 12.8 percent forest cover and 29 percent tree cover, making it one of the leading counties in the country in tree-growing efforts.
“We are not only growing trees in gazetted forests, which are limited in size, but also in public institutions, including schools, and we are encouraging residents to plant trees on their farms,” he said.
He further encouraged residents to plant fruit trees for both nutritional and economic benefits.
So far, the Kenya Forest Service has planted more than 500,000 fruit trees and the exercise is ongoing.
About 90 percent of our forests are covered by indigenous trees while 10 percent are commercial trees,” Ndaka quipped.
By Dickson Mwiti
