Calls to plant more trees took centre stage on Monday during World Habitat Day celebrations in Kisumu.
This year’s theme for World Habitat Day is 'Accelerating urban action for a carbon-free world.'
Kisumu city celebrated the day in partnership with Winam Grassroots and Kenya Forestry at Nyanza Golf Club where more than 500 trees were planted.
Kisumu city manager Abala Wanga urged residents to actively plant more trees to help reduce carbon levels.
“We all know how important trees are and it is only when we have appropriately worked on our tree cover that we can then begin to have other conversations along earning carbon credits as it happens in the European world,” he said.
Wanga said planting more trees was the first step toward transforming the city for the sake of future generations.
He noted that cities represent a greater focus on global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.
“Reducing carbon emissions is a priority topic globally and it is high time African cities and intermediary cities begin being part of the conversation,” he said.
Wanga said urban planning is one of the most powerful tools to mitigate the environmental impact on cities and reduce their contribution to global warming.
“Carbon emissions associated with the use of the city come from urban buildings and installations, as well as public services. As a city, we are committed to localising this global agenda of reducing carbon emissions through better urban planning,” he said.
Wanga reminded residents to work towards a better future for the coming generations by actively participating in environmental conservation through tree planting.
He called for more partnership between the county government and other stakeholders in the successful implementation of policies that ensure the sustainability of people.
Wanga noted that they have already made many strategic partnerships that help them realise useful milestones in the running of the city.
“One of these partnerships [is the one we have] with corporate organisations towards greening the city that is very successful this far,” he added.
Wanga, who presided over the launch of the 50,000 tree marathon for Kisumu by Winam Grassroots, asked schools and churches to embrace tree planting as a culture.
The initiative, he said, feeds into the city’s strategic plan for greening spaces within the city and helping increase the tree cover.
Currently, the tree cover in Kisumu is very low and it is hoped that, through partnerships and collaborative initiatives, the city will be able to attain the national tree cover average of 10 percent.
Wanga lauded Winam Grassroots for leading this year’s events at Nyanza Golf Club.
Winam Grassroots founder and director Mary Were Opot said the 50,000 tree marathon initiative is part of the efforts to help increase Kisumu city’s tree cover.
She said they are partnering with the city and other stakeholders to work within a framework which will help achieve sustainable communities through ecosystem conservation.
“We are engaging communities on the need to observe environmental conservation for their well-being,” Were said.
Winam Grassroots partnership and strategic lead Merab Ochieng noted the reduction of tree cover in Kisumu and called for the planting of trees.
“We can make Kisumu city carbon-free if we grow trees. We are aiming to have everyone at the grassroots to plant trees for the realisation of targeted tree cover in the county,” she said.
Ochieng said they have embraced the tree concept where they work with schools and sensitise students to the need to plant and nurture trees within society.
“Winam Grassroots is running an initiative dubbed green species where they capacity-build young people to understand climate change and what they should do to achieve sustainable ecosystem and environment,” she said.
About 40 young people are working on climate change and environmental conservation activities, Ochieng added.
Benard Ojwang, the City of Kisumu Head of Environment, said they hope to plant one million trees under the partnership dubbed “greening the city”.
Last year, they planted 600,000 trees out of the targeted one million.
“We are working with Winam Grassroots and other like-minded partners for us to realise the one million target,” Ojwang said.
The city has also partnered with schools, churches and health facilities to plant more trees.
In schools, they are giving seedlings, including fruit trees, to be planted and nurtured by members of environmental clubs.
Apart from planting trees, Ojwang said they work with companies to conserve rivers and prevent direct discharge of raw effluent into rivers and Lake Victoria.
The companies are undertaking mop-up where they collect garbage, including plastics waste for effective disposal in designated points. “We have also devolved waste management into ward levels where communities are engaged in proper management,” Ojwang said.
He added that they have also partnered with Mr Green Africa on the management of plastic waste where people collect plastics and get paid.
