•The CS said the exercise will be held concurrently with county tree growing exercises across the 47 Counties presided over by Cabinet Secretaries.
•The CS said they are determined to get the country out of the period cycle climate extremes.
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Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya has said they have identified Kiu Wetland, Makueni County as the venue for the tree-growing activity on November 13.
Speaking during a press briefing on Tuesday, Tuya said the rapid national tree-growing activity will be presided over by President William Ruto.
"Kui Wetland has been selected as the venue of the National Tree Growing activity in line with our Wetlands Restoration Strategy," she said.
"The strategy identified wetlands to have a very high potential for ecosystem restoration including tree growing and support for livelihoods because of the all-year availability of water."
The CS said the exercise will be held concurrently with county tree-growing exercises across the 47 counties presided over by Cabinet Secretaries.
She said that each of her cabinet colleagues has been assigned at least two counties to oversee.
"The Cabinet Secretaries will be hosted by respective governors county commissioners, Principal secretaries, senior government officials, county environment committees, development partners, civil society, faith-based organisations, and community-based groups among others," Tuya said.
After November 13, she said the tree-growing activities will be cascaded to subcounties, locations and sublocations.
This she said will be under the coordination of the National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs) and subcounty environment committees.
The CS said they are determined to get the country out of the period cycle climate extremes.
Tuya said they want to do that by implementing the ambitious Landscapes and Ecosystems Strategy, anchored on the 15 Billion National Tree Growing Programme.
"As government, we have set aside this day to not only manifest the importance we pay to our landscape and ecosystem restoration efforts, but also hoping that we can start inculcating in our generations, the culture of landscape and ecosystem conservation, including tree growing," she said.
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki on Monday declared November 13, a public holiday.
In a gazette notice, Kindiki said the public shall be engaged in tree growing countrywide.
"In Exercise of the powers conferred by section 3 of the Public Holidays Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration declares Monday, November 13, 2023, a public holiday in which the public shall be engaged in tree growing countrywide," the gazette notice read.
This comes after the November 3, meeting when the Cabinet agreed to designate a special working day for tree planting in recognition of the effects of climate change and compliance with the 15 billion tree pledge.
"This aligns with the Government's National Tree Planting Campaign under the Presidential Programme for the Accelerated Restoration of Forests and Rangelands," a statement from Cabinet reads