Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya today presided over the planting of 10,000 trees in Mt Elgon forest in Bungoma County to mark her birthday.
The indigenous tree species were planted at the Cheptais Forest Station in Chepyuk by area residents led by CS Tuya in a day-long exercise that was attended by tens of Bungoma County leaders led by Deputy Governor Janepher Chemutai Mbatiany.
Speaking to Chepyuk residents at the event organised by Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), CS Tuya urged Kenyans to make tree growing a lifestyle activity by taking advantage of every opportunity to plant trees.
“When you celebrate your birthday or any of your important days, please mark it with tree growing. Here we’ve planted 10,000 trees,” CS Tuya said, adding jokingly that it would be difficult for those trying to guess her new age to decipher based on the number of seedlings planted.
She said aggressive greening of the country in line with the 15 billion tree growing and ecosystem restoration programme that seeks to raise Kenya’s tree cover to 30 percent by 2032 would help mitigate against adverse effects of climate change.
CS Tuya said climate change was one of the greatest challenges facing the country, ranking second to terrorism, and urged residents of Mt Elgon and the Western Kenya belt to take advantage of the high rainfall received in the region to intensify tree growing.
“Because of climate change, our water sources dry out. We suffer shortage of food. Our environment gets destroyed,” the CS said, noting that human activities were largely responsible for climate change.
CS Tuya said Western Kenya forests including Mt Elgon and Kakamega were facing a myriad of challenges including encroachment noting that she had a meeting with Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to find lasting solutions.
Once again, CS Tuya instructed KFS to involve forest adjacent communities through their community forest associations in conservation activities saying host communities were the first line of defence against forest degradation.
