CS Chirchir calls for another National Tree Planting Day after rains fail

Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has urged the government to declare an additional National Tree Planting Day, following the failure of anticipated El Niño rains during this year’s Mazingira Day celebrations. At Makutano Forest in Kipkelion East Constituency, Chirchir disclosed that the dry conditions impeded plans to plant 300,000 trees in Kericho County within an hour.

He pledged to petition Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa to establish a nationwide tree-planting day to help the nation pursue its objective of planting 15 billion trees by 2032. Kenya commemorates Mazingira Day on October 10, dedicating the public holiday to environmental conservation and tree planting.

Chirchir believes another planting day would enable the country to continue striving towards the national target, despite the adverse weather conditions experienced during this year’s events. The government intends to achieve the 15 billion tree target as part of initiatives to restore forest cover, rehabilitate degraded land, and enhance environmental resilience.

President William Ruto unveiled plans to utilize aerial seeding in cleared and mapped forest areas, deploy 15,000 National Youth Service personnel to bolster seedling production, and establish 17 mega nurseries capable of producing 25 million seedlings each. So far, 5.3 million trees have been planted nationwide during the celebrations.

Chirchir’s request emerges as the government persists in its efforts to augment tree cover and rejuvenate degraded ecosystems. However, concerns have arisen regarding the pressure on existing forests, particularly the Aberdare Forest, where heavy lorries transporting timber from areas such as Geta have raised apprehensions about water security and rural roads.

The Kenya Forest Service is also probing the overnight felling of 350 young trees in the Makunga block of Saboti Forest Station in Trans Nzoia County, deeming it suspected illegal activity and enhancing security measures. Environmental organizations have petitioned the Environment Ministry to halt activities they argue threaten protected ecosystems, including the Aberdares, Mau, and Ngong Road Forest, garnering over 60,000 signatures.

While forest authorities assert that authorized harvesting in designated plantation areas constitutes regulated forest management, separate from illegal logging or the destruction of indigenous forests, the government remains committed to its 2032 tree-planting target amid calls to bolster the protection of existing forests.