Tree planting enters survival test as Government tracks millions of trees

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Planting millions of trees will not be enough this week as the Government prepares to track their survival months after the campaign ends.

 The Government is targeting 17.24 million trees during a six-day environmental campaign involving schools, mining areas, highways and communities across the country.

The campaign began Monday, October 5, with different sectors assigned specific environmental activities throughout the week.

It will culminate in National Mazingira Day on Saturday, October 10, which will also mark National Tree Growing Day under the theme “Our Environment, Our Responsibility: Collective Action for Tree Growing and Environmental Stewardship.”

The Government plans to count, geo-tag and certify every tree planted during the campaign before conducting 90-day survival checks. It will also track tree-growing pledges every quarter.

Schools, technical and vocational education and training institutions and universities are expected to plant trees and conduct environmental clean-ups.

Wednesday will focus on restoring mine sites in Kakamega, Siaya, Migori, Busia and Kisii under the State Departments of Mining and Forestry.

The Government will then turn to highways and drainage systems Thursday, with the State departments responsible for roads, transport and forestry leading the activities.

All 47 counties will participate in a nationwide clean-up Friday, with county headquarters hosting activities under the State Department of Climate Change and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).

The 17.24 million-tree target will involve village elders, the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), Community Forest Associations, the National Youth Service (NYS), the Kenya Prisons Service and educational institutions.

Village elders will lead tree planting across 77,252 villages, while KFS and Community Forest Associations will plant at 79 sites in 31 counties.

NYS will target 1.5 million trees while the Kenya Prisons Service will plant one million trees across 68 facilities.

Government Spokesperson Charles Owino said the campaign seeks to make environmental conservation part of daily life rather than an activity reserved for annual celebrations.

“Environmental conservation is practical and personal,” Owino said, linking it to clean water, health, food, livelihoods, jobs, economic opportunities and national development.

He urged people to plant and nurture trees, protect existing forests, restore degraded areas, protect rivers and wetlands, clean public spaces and dispose of waste responsibly.

“Kenyans, don't just talk about the environment: do something for it!” Owino said.

The national celebrations will be hosted in Trans Nzoia County, where the Presidential Green Challenge will target 5.1 million trees at 79 sites across 31 counties.

More than 51,000 community members are expected to participate in the exercise.

The campaign forms part of Kenya's wider target of growing 15 billion trees by 2032.

The Government's tracking plan is intended to measure whether trees planted during the campaign survive beyond the initial planting exercise and help sustain the country's wider tree-growing programme.