• The President called on all Kenyans to join in the challenge and inculcate the culture of tree planting.
• He said every Kenyan should take up the duty of planting at least 100 trees in their farms and homes in order to meet the target.
Image: WANGECHI WANG'ONDU
President William Ruto has reiterated the need for environmental conservation through tree planting to counter climate change which has brought about a devastating drought.
Speaking on Saturday during the commissioning of Thiba Dam in Kirinyaga county, Ruto said that his administration will lead from the front by embarking on an aggressive tree-planting campaign aimed at increasing the country's e forest cover by five billion trees.
"Water increment goes hand-in-hand with conserving the environment. As a government we purpose to plant five billion trees in bid to combat climate change."
The President called on all Kenyans to join in the challenge and inculcate the culture of tree planting.
He said every Kenyan should take up the duty of planting at least 100 trees in their farms and homes in order to meet the target.
In bid to counter drought and hunger, the President said his administration will invest in long term plans such as increasing productivity as opposed to subsidising ready produce which he said is unsustainable.
He faulted the previous regime for spending billions of shillings in susbsidising unga prices.
Ruto said his government will utilise the funds in lowering the cost of production which will in turn help lower the price of ready-made goods.
His sentiments were echoed by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who urged the opposition to give the Kenya Kwanza administration time to correct economic blunders created by the Jubilee regime.
He said that ODM leader Raila Odinga has no moral authority of lecture the new government as he contributed to the emergence of the many challenges facing the country today.
"You abandoned your duty to oversight government, the country was looted. So now old man, go slow, give us space with William Ruto to fix the economy," he said.
Area governor Ann Waiguru said the county's department of agriculture had introduced 10,000 fingerlings of Tilapia and cat fish with an aim of improving the quality of irrigation water.
County senator Kamau Murango urged the state to buy rice from the county farmers noting that the supply would go along way in feeding the starved Kenyans.
He urged the state to reallocate the Sh400 million that remained after the construction of Thiba dam.
He said the dam cost Sh7.8 billion but the project had been allocated Sh8.2 billion.
Leaders who were present during the commissioning of the dam included governor Cecily Mbarire (Embu), Mutthomi Njuki (Thraka Nithi) National Assembly majority leader Kimani Ichung'wa, MPs Alice Wahome, Gichimu Githinji (Gichugu) Mary Maingi (Mwea) county woman rep Njeri Maina among others.