Africa-Press – Kenya. MPs are rooting for the establishment of more days for national tree planting exercise to speed up realisation of the ambitious government initiative of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.
Juja MP George Koimburi and his Thika counterpart Alice Ng’ang’a concurred that having more similar days in a calendar year will inculcate the culture of tree planting in Kenyans and communities across the country.
The duo also wants the government to take stern action against individuals, or entities encroaching on the natural resources.
They said that some people have set up hotels and others were doing farming activities on forest land leading to wanton destruction of trees and the ecosystem.
The legislators said that proper measures should be put in place to protect the environment and the ecosystem as well as punish culprits.
Speaking separately while leading their constituents in planting trees exercises on Monday, the lawmakers said the need for collaborative efforts between the government and the private sector in the exercise so as to increase the country’s forest cover and combat climate change.
Koimburi, who led other local leaders and residents in planting 20,000 trees across Juja constituency, said all Kenyans must play a role in the afforestation exercise and help realise President William Ruto’s goal to plant 15 billion trees in the country in the next 10 years.
“This is a national call to every citizen to participate in this fight against climate change. Juja is a semi-arid area that faces harsh climatic conditions, including prolonged drought. It’s high time that we take advantage of the ongoing rains to plant and nurture more trees,” the legislator said.
In Thika, MP Ng’ang’a who oversaw planting of 4,000 seedlings, said that her office is undertaking deliberate steps to enhance tree planting in the region, including incorporating all private institutions such as universities, colleges, schools and industry in the exercise.
“We will not actually be waiting for the tree planting day. We want to make it a monthly exercise and my office has already written to institutions and other corporate entities as we seek to rope in more partners in this noble course,” the MP said.
She said that massive tree planting across the country will be one of the legacies that will be left by the current Kenya Kwanza administration led by the President, adding that the impact of the deliberate actions to restore and protect the climate will be felt in the near future.
At the same time, Ng’ang’a said that she is marshalling support from the public and private sector to plant trees in the flood-prone Gichiiki village in Thika East as a measure to mitigate flooding in the area.
“Environmental degradation is the main reason why the village usually floods whenever it rains. We will solve this problem through afforestation,” she said.
The MPs also called on parents to ensure they actively engage their children in constructive activities, such as tree planting during the long holidays to keep them off from engaging in immoral and antisocial vices.
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