President William Ruto on Friday led a
nationwide tree-planting campaign in Kiambicho Forest in Maragùa, Mùrang’a
County.

The President said the day was set aside by
the Cabinet in honour of those who lost their lives as a result of the floods
that have ravaged various parts of the country.

Planting and growing trees, he pointed out,
is also the solution that will mitigate the effects of climate change, which
include devastating droughts and destructive floods.

The government, he explained, set a target
for Kenyans to plant 200 million trees across the country.

Speaking at Karua grounds in Maragua after
planting trees, the President announced that the exercise will continue for the
next six months beginning on Monday, adding that Cabinet Secretaries would be
at the forefront.

Every ministry, he said, will have a day in
which staff of various departments and agencies will plant trees in the
specific areas they have been assigned.

“Planting of trees will continue each day
beginning next Monday with each ministry participating and so that we have a
collective effort in conserving and restoring the environment,” President Ruto
said.

On Monday, he announced, Prime Cabinet
Secretary Musalia Mudavadi will lead the tree-planting exercise. This will be
followed by all the other ministries until the government achieves the target
of 15 billion trees by 2032.

The Head of State regretted that the country
has been hit by droughts in the recent past and now floods have wreaked havoc
across the country.

He said the government was keen in increasing
the country’s forest cover from 12 per cent to 30 per cent.

“Climate change is a reality we live with
every day. This is why we stopped all other business today to plant trees,” the
President said. “We must look for a solution to climate change, and the
solution is planting and growing trees.”

He emphasised the need for every Kenyan to
plant at least 50 trees, especially fruit species.

Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya
said her ministry will buy seedlings from the residents.

Governor Irungu Kang’ata said his
administration will buy mango seedlings from local farmers in an effort to
increase horticultural production in the area.

Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro commended the
initiatives the government is implementing to revive the economy, saying they
were yielding fruits.

At the Kiambicho Forest Station, President
Ruto, First Lady Rachel Ruto, leaders and residents planted 20,000 trees in a
16-hectare piece of land.

Other leaders present were MPs Chege Njuguna
(Kandara), Betty Njeri (Murang’a Women Rep), Mary Wamaua (Maragua), Veronica
Maina (nominated), Joseph Munyoro (Kigumo) and Senator Joe Nyutu (Murang’a),
among others.