Plant more trees, leaders urge Homabay County residents

Rachuonyo,

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

KNA by Moseti Julius

Homabay county residents have been asked to plant and nurture more trees during the ongoing rainy season to improve their environment now and for posterity.

Dr Joash Aloo, the County Executive Committee member (CECM) for Water, Irrigation, Sanitation and Climate Change urged every resident to ensure 10 percent of their farm is covered with trees.

He said the trees planted will in the near future be able to reverse the negative effect of climate change threatening food security.

The CECM also urged the residents to ensure they include fruit trees in their homes and in school compounds and ensure they protect them until they survive.

He was speaking on Monday when he led Kamagak North residents and other government officials to rehabilitate God Nyango hills forest in Rachuonyo South Sub County

God Nyango covering 34.7 hectares was gazetted in 2021 after the community petition to the government. The community leaders had witnessed the destruction of the forest through illegal iron ore mining on the hills and wanton cutting of indigenous tress for charcoal and other uses since the area was free for all.

 “Over 5000 trees were planted on a section covering 2 acres of the hill out of which 200 were fruit trees planted in the adjacent God Nyango primary School,” said Chrispine Osunga, community forest association (CFA) chairman.

He said God Nyango hills forest is among the forests that are part of wire forest management; the other forests he said include Nyasore and God Nyaingu hills forest.

Osunga said after community sensitization through public participation they agreed to rehabilitate the forest and as CFA leaders they looked for partners who are supporting the exercise.

Among the partners involved in the rehabilitation and who also made the presence felt during the event Osunga said is compassion international Kenya which supported the exercise with 5000 trees planted during the event.

Other partners include Plant Trees for Better Lives a CBO under the patron of Nuhu Omollo Masoud.

Mr. Osunga who is also the representative of CFAs in Nyanza region to the forest conservancy committees covering six counties said rehabilitating God Nyango forest and other forests will be a continuous process and his work will be networking and looking for partners and link them to CFAs.

 “What we are doing today is in line with the clarion call of the President of the republic of Kenya Dr. William Ruto because we have a target of 15 billion trees by 2032,” said Gichuki Mbogo, the Assistant County Commissioner who represented David Kiprop the area Deputy County Commissioner.

He thanked the private sector for partnering with government to protect the environment and assured them of full government support as they carry out their activities.

“We want to reverse the effect of climate change, let’s support each other, and let’s forge ahead to plant more trees,” he said.

Courtesy; KNA