NAIROBI, Kenya – Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has announced a significant milestone in Kenya’s fight against climate change, revealing that Kenyans have planted 481 million trees since January 2024.
The initiative, which is part of the government’s ambitious goal to plant 15 billion trees by 2032, has garnered widespread participation from the public.
Speaking at Nairobi’s Arboretum, CS Duale praised citizens for embracing the tree-planting initiative, which aims to combat the rising threat of greenhouse gas emissions.
“This effort will not only benefit the current generation but will also secure the future,” Duale stated, underscoring the long-term impacts of emissions that can linger in the atmosphere for centuries.
The initiative is part of Kenya’s broader strategy to mitigate the effects of climate change, which have become increasingly evident through prolonged droughts and erratic weather patterns.
President William Ruto, soon after taking office in 2022, urged every Kenyan to plant at least 100 trees, recognizing the country’s urgent need to address environmental degradation.
“As a member of the global community, we cannot ignore the reality of climate change,” Ruto had said in Kirinyaga County in October 2022. “Our severe droughts are a clear sign that we must act. Planting trees is our surest way to reverse the trend, ensuring water security and agricultural prosperity.”
In addition to reforestation efforts, Duale also addressed the longstanding issue of the polluted Nairobi River, promising a comprehensive cleanup within the next 18 months.
He emphasized that companies, slaughterhouses, and Nairobi’s sewerage firms would be held accountable for their waste disposal practices.
“We are putting companies and institutions on notice,” Duale warned. “Nairobi will have a clean river within 18 months. We expect to see real results, and we will be monitoring waste management closely.”
To support this effort, the government plans to introduce a color-coded waste management system to help households separate recyclable and non-recyclable waste.
This system, according to Duale, will be gazetted soon to ensure its implementation nationwide.
The tree-planting campaign and the river cleanup come on the heels of the government’s decision to rename Utamaduni Day to Mazingira Day in April 2024, a symbolic move aimed at encouraging citizens to engage more actively in environmental conservation.
The initiative, which is part of the government’s ambitious goal to plant 15 billion trees by 2032, has garnered widespread participation from the public.
Speaking at Nairobi’s Arboretum, CS Duale praised citizens for embracing the tree-planting initiative, which aims to combat the rising threat of greenhouse gas emissions.
“This effort will not only benefit the current generation but will also secure the future,” Duale stated, underscoring the long-term impacts of emissions that can linger in the atmosphere for centuries.
The initiative is part of Kenya’s broader strategy to mitigate the effects of climate change, which have become increasingly evident through prolonged droughts and erratic weather patterns.
President William Ruto, soon after taking office in 2022, urged every Kenyan to plant at least 100 trees, recognizing the country’s urgent need to address environmental degradation.
“As a member of the global community, we cannot ignore the reality of climate change,” Ruto had said in Kirinyaga County in October 2022. “Our severe droughts are a clear sign that we must act. Planting trees is our surest way to reverse the trend, ensuring water security and agricultural prosperity.”
In addition to reforestation efforts, Duale also addressed the longstanding issue of the polluted Nairobi River, promising a comprehensive cleanup within the next 18 months.
He emphasized that companies, slaughterhouses, and Nairobi’s sewerage firms would be held accountable for their waste disposal practices.
“We are putting companies and institutions on notice,” Duale warned. “Nairobi will have a clean river within 18 months. We expect to see real results, and we will be monitoring waste management closely.”
To support this effort, the government plans to introduce a color-coded waste management system to help households separate recyclable and non-recyclable waste.
This system, according to Duale, will be gazetted soon to ensure its implementation nationwide.
The tree-planting campaign and the river cleanup come on the heels of the government’s decision to rename Utamaduni Day to Mazingira Day in April 2024, a symbolic move aimed at encouraging citizens to engage more actively in environmental conservation.
