The country needs to plant 360 million trees every year for five years to achieve the 10 per cent forest cover.
How many trees have you ever planted ?
Kenya Water Towers Authority Chairperson Dr Isaac Kalua said that there is great need for government and private agencies to change the strategy on how they can lure Kenyans to plant more trees.
However, this will not be achieved because Kenyans do not see the benefits of those trees.
Therefore, government should now change strategy and urge Kenyans to plant fruit trees or any other type of tree with financial benefit to them.
“We need to be change strategy and be solution providers. Plant trees for fruits or beneficial to the community,” he said.
He said Kenyans should plant more seedlings and sell to the government at minimum cost of Sh20 per seedling, which translates to Sh7.2 billion for the 360 million seedling per year.
According to Kalua, each county government needs to plant 7.9 million trees annually.
He was speaking during a tree planting event at Shanzu Teachers Training College in Mombasa.
At the Coast, Lamu County has the largest forest cover of 33.9 per cent, Kilifi 7.6 per cent, Tana River has 6.21 per cent, Kwale 5.44 per cent, Mombasa has 5.21 per cent and Lastly Taita Taveta has 3.63 per cent.
Kalua also said the national government, through the Ministry of Water, will revive all stalled boreholes project countrywide to ease pressure on the water catchment areas.
Recently the Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko has urged Kenyans to plant trees during ceremonies to increase the country’s forest cover by at least 10 percent
” If the 45 million Kenyans resolve to start planting five tree seedlings each year for the next five years,”said the CS
Adding that the drive targets to ensure 500 million seedlings are planted annually for the next five years.
The CS took his campaign to churches where he asked congregates to give tree seedlings as part of offerings.
“The initiative would not only boost the government’s tree planting drive but be a symbol of respect and honour for those tying the knot and those burying their loved ones,”said CS Tobiko.
The CS further noted that counties in western had rainfall around the year, it was disappointing that the region had the lowest forest cover at 9 percent.
The CS gave warning to the people intruding government forests will be evicted.