President Ruto urges all Kenyans to plant 100 trees each

President William Ruto has urged all Kenyans to plant about a hundred trees each as the ultimate solution to combating drought through conservation of the environment.

Addressing Kirinyaga County residents on Saturday during the commissioning of the Ksh.8.2 billion Thiba Dam, he said Kenyans have to partake in the whole reconstruction process of afforestation to ensure the effect of the climate change is reversed by planting five billion trees.

“As a country, we must realise that as a member of the global community we have a challenge of climate right here with us. We have farming, we have the most severe drought in 40 years confirming that we are already suffering the effects of climate change,” Ruto stated.

“We must do our bit as a nation; for us to have water, the way we have in this dam, we must mind our environment as a country we have made the policy decision that we must plant 5 billion trees.”

He added: “Every Kenyan, 50 million of us, must plant at least 100 trees, either in your compound, in your farm or in any other place you find...that is the surest way for us to turn around the climate so that we can have water, grow crops, do dams, agro-processing and make sure we have prosperity.”

In this regard, the President asked all citizens, including children, to ensure that 100 trees are planted in their names. He also asked parents to plant for children that are not capable of doing so themselves.

“Kama uko na mtoto ambaye hawezi kupanda, mpandie miti mia moja. Yule amezaliwa, sherehe ya kuzaliwa kwa mtoto, apandiwe miti mia moja,” he said.

“Hivyo ndivyo tutahakikisha kuwa kuna mazingira ambayo itatupatia hali, maji, tuweke kwa dam, tumalize njaa.”