President Kenyatta: Kenya to plant 1 billion trees in 2022

Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, has urged Kenyans to commit themselves to conserve their environment and heritage by taking part in planting one billion trees this year of 2022.

In his New Year’s state address in Nairobi, he said the greening Kenya campaign is expected to lead the country to the realization of the goal of a minimum of 10% forest cover in the country.

“The campaign will enhance this by planting of an additional 1 billion trees, ” said Kenyatta. ” I urge every Kenyan to support this working initiative, as well as all others that target a Green Kenya,” he added.

Kenya has a forest cover of 7.4%, 3.6% short of the constitutionally accepted 10% which the country is targeting to cover in line with the decision made last year at COP26 hosted in Scotland to protect the world’s forests and and land use by 2030.

According to Kenya Forest Services (KFS), the decreasing forest cover is aggravated by an abated environmental destruction of trees for charcoal burning, illegal timber sales and illegal human settlement.

A member of the public from East Asembo, Rarieda constituency in Central Nyanza region, Moses Otieno who is campaigning for green environment described the president’s new year message as a great hope and an inspiration to the nation.

“To exist as a nation we need to pay heed to the president’s speech and plant more trees. Everyone should play a part in helping the president to protect and enhance our heritage and natural environment,” said Otieno.

In 2012 former Kenya’s Prime Minister Raila Odinga implemented Mau forest eviction. The forest is located in the Rift Valley.

Odinga’s efforts helped save the water catchment area for the benefit of the local residents and the country at large.

“It was decided that the forest be protected so that we reduce desertification.” Raila said on a state television.

In July 2018 thousands of people were evicted from Mau forest and the following year – 2019, the government announced plans to evict another 60,000 people from the forest.

The eviction of people who have settled on forest land are an effort to save the country’s ecosystem, which is threatened by encroachment, heavy deforestation and illegal settlements.