- The 15 billion national tree growing and restoration campaigns was launched in December 2022.
- The government plans to plant 15 billion trees by 2032, a calculated move aimed at restoring 10.6 million hectares of degraded landscape.
Image: GILBERT KOECH
The state has employed a multi-pronged approach to ensure that the bid to enhance the country’s tree cover to 30 per cent by 2032 succeeds.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya on Wednesday said enhancing the cover needs up to Sh600 billion, resources that the government does not have.
“It is a concerted effort by all partners. It requires huge resources and that is why we are having a strategy. We are not looking at the exchequer to support the 15 billion trees,” Tuya said.
The CS made the remarks at Serena Hotel during an engagement with Conservation Alliance of Kenya members.
CAK is a limited liability membership organisation registered in Kenya as the umbrella body in the country.
The alliance seeks to advance the preservation, protection and management of wildlife and its habitats; places of natural beauty; locations of zoological, botanical, geographical, and scientific interest, and features of the landscape with geological and physiographical value in Kenya.
Tuya said the government has to put in money to support the campaigns, adding there is goodwill from development partners and the private sector.
“We have a multi-approach where we are saying that one of the ways is to have our private sector adopt an ecosystem. We have a list of so many organisations that have come to say they are taking portions of the forest to conserve which relieves the burden on the government in terms of injecting money into it,” the CS said.
The government plans to plant 15 billion trees by 2032, a calculated move aimed at restoring 10.6 million hectares of degraded landscape for improved biodiversity and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The 15 billion national tree growing and restoration campaigns was launched in December 2022.
Tuya said the ministry has engaged the 47 counties through the Council of Governors to make sure everybody is on board. She said her ministry is keen to maximise the work, expertise and knowledge put in place by various players, including NGOs.
The CS further said plans are also in place to meet and engage the private sector, embassies, UN agencies, high commissions, departments and an inter-ministerial steering committee (implementation team) to consolidate all the efforts.
She said the campaign being mounted will, among other things, seek to boost seedling production, both in private tree nurseries and government supported at Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Forestry Research Institute’s centres across the country.
The ministry is also working with the Prison department, Education ministry and other ministries, departments and agencies for proper preparations before the rains.
Tuya said tree nurseries will be established by the chiefs.
“The greening Kenya restoration campaigns seek to help in the creation of jobs and we must focus on agroforestry because the largest opportunity for restoration and tree growing lies in arid and semi arid lands within community land, community forests and on farm forestry,” she said, adding that farmers will also be supported.
The CS said Kefri has already developed a mobile app to help in site marching as well as in tracking the progress of trees planted, adding that Kenyans who have done well will be awarded green certificates.
Tuya said the campaign is achievable if each Kenyan can plant 30 trees each year, especially during birthdays.
The CS further said restoring degraded landscapes in the country will help the country combat the ongoing drought that has affected close to five million Kenyans.
Forestry PS Ephantus Kimotho was also present at the engagement meeting said they have 66 million seedlings.
Some 500 million are however being propagated in readiness for the next season.
“We have a stock of 120 metric tonnes capable of producing 2 billion seedlings,” Kimotho said.
During the meeting, the PS shared the 15 billion trees growing strategy with the NGOs present.
Kimotho said the strategy gives restoration opportunity of 10.6 million hectares, with 70 per cent being in ASAL areas.
The PS said some of the initiatives during the tree-growing campaign will help to enhance the livelihoods of communities.
“We have also looked at ways and means of we can advance the commercial forestry in the farmlands which also gives us big restoration opportunity for the farmers,” Kimotho said.
CAK chairperson Lucy Waruinge and CEO Steve Itela were among those present.
“We are hoping as an alliance to collaborate going forward not only in this effort of 15 billion trees growing campaign, but also in restoring our rangeland and forestland so that both people and wildlife continue to thrive together in a very healthy ecosystem,” she said.