Gov't seeking to plant 500 million trees during Monday holiday

The government intends to plant 500 million tree seedlings during the nationwide tree-planting exercise on Monday. 

The declaration of Monday, November 13, as a national tree planting holiday, may have caught many by surprise, but Environment Cabinet Secretary (CS) Soipan Tuya says it aligns with the government’s pledge to plant 15 billion trees in the next 10 years, as part of the broader picture to combat deforestation and increase the country’s tree cover.

Kenya has a forest cover of 7.4%, which is  3.6% short of the constitutionally accepted 10% forest cover.

President William Ruto is set to lead the national tree planting ceremony at the Kiu Wetlands in Makueni County, with similar exercises planned across the country.

"We have set a target of growing 100 million seedlings on the 13th only, if each Kenyan took it upon themselves between Friday and Monday to plant even 2 trees, we will be able to achieve 100 million seedlings," Tuya says.

She added that the government has a supply of 150 million tree seedlings ready for planting across the country, and has urged corporates and development partners to support the government in the provision of tree seedlings.

The government has made amendments to the Climate Change Act to ensure those trading in carbon credits in the country do not exploit the host communities, and that it is done in a structured manner.

"We have been working on a legal framework to amend our Climate Change Act, to put in a legal framework on how to achieve transparency, integrity and clear benefit sharing of carbon trading proceeds for communities and the government. One thing we will get out of the framework is a carbon registry at the national level," said the CS.

As part of its greening and restoration efforts, President Ruto has pledged that the government will secure and protect public forests, and rehabilitate and restore all degraded water towers and other forest ecosystems across the country.