CS Duale reveals number of trees planted since January

By Peter Ochieng

Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Aden Duale has revealed the number of trees planted in the country, since January 2024.

Speaking on Thursday when he led Kenyans in a clean-up exercise at the Arboretum segment of Nairobi River to mark this year's Mazingira Day, Duale said Kenyans had planted 481 million trees since January.

He said the country is well on course to reaching the 15 billion tree- target by 2032, as mitigating measures against adverse effects of climate change.

“Through groundbreaking programs such as Climate WorX and the 15 billion trees by 2032 initiatives, we are restoring forest cover, cleaning blue spaces and strengthening ecosystems, while tackling the pressing challenges of climate change," said the former defence CS.

These efforts, he added, form a crucial pillar of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), driving green job creation, enhancing food security and fostering sustainable development.

“Let us take this opportunity to go out, plant trees, clean our surroundings and be stewards of the environment,” appealed the CS.

Duale said that he would gazette a colour-coding mechanism for waste found in homes, to separate recyclable and non-recyclable waste, adding that they are on a mission to ensure Nairobi River is sparkling clean, within the shortest time possible.

"What you see behind me is not a river, in 18 months we want to see a clean River Nairobi. We have put on notice companies, slaughter houses, and Nairobi sewerage companies. To Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, we want to know where garbage collectors are taking the garbage," added Duale.

The government renamed Utamaduni Day to Mazingira Day in April 2024, after President William Ruto signed the Statute Law (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill, 2024, aimed at encouraging Kenyans to participate in conserving the environment by planting trees.

Duale said in view of the worsening climate change crisis, intensified by degraded landscapes and pollution, Mazingira Day provides a platform for a whole-of-Government, whole-of-society participation in climate action.

This year’s Mazingira day theme is, “Our Environment, Our Health, Our Wealth.”