Among the East African countries, Kenya still lags behind in ensuring that it has an adequate forest cover that plays an important role as far as climate change is concerned.
The numerous cases of forest encroachment and logging are to blame for the quick disappearing of the country’s forest cover and hence the need to bring everyone on board to ensure that our green economy does not become extinct at all.
It’s worth noting that president Uhuru Kenyatta has seen it as a concern and instead reviewed the vision 2030 of having a 10% forest cover to 2022 where the country is to attain the target of planting a total of 2 Billion trees within the country
It is a tall order that calls for every Kenyan involvement and to ensure that each Kenyan is involved, one man has taken it upon himself to set up a 5Million tree nursery in Karen Nairobi and another 1Million in Kakamega county along the Kakamega-Webuye road.
Through his initiative “Police 1Million trees to arrest climate change in Kenya”, where he distributes hundreds of trees per police station,Caleb Burudi is walking the talk in greening the country.
Through his Calexo tree nursery and Casteline Africa in conjunction with various organizations Burudi has embarked on supplying all the country’s police stations that will in turn distributes them to schools and other learning institutions for planting.
“I chose to use police stations as our distribution points since they are all over the country and easy to trace and are well placed to serve other nearby institutions. “
He says institutions have the capacity to plant many trees at the same time broadcast the importance of preserving our environment through tree planting.
Already he has engaged the Ngong administration and individuals where over 20,000 trees have been issued to the locals, he has further brought on board the Ngong local administration to assist in the setting up of nurseries in Kibiko and Ololuwa forests respectively while 1,000 trees have been given to the national youth service (NYS) alongside Starehe, Pangani, Huruma, Muthaiga and Police headquarters at vigilance house also receiving tree seedlings.
Burudi has also extended how gesture to the office of chief Secretary for public works Wavinya Ndeti at her transcom house in Nairobi.
In Karen he has engaged the Kileleshwa ward neighborhood association that will in turn distributes the trees to police and schools within. Over 300 trees have also been issued to Macha beach resort in Machakos where he pushed the locals to take up the challenge of greening their environment for rains and food security.
In Western region he has donated the same to the Kakamega county commissioner and various police stations within the county besides the Malava Catholic church also benefiting with 1,000 seedlings that were planted during this year’s forest day celebrations.
He is also eyeing to commence the 10 trees per kilometre initiative on all tarmacked roads within the country.
“Covid-19 came with a devastating effects but to me it gave me a lifetime commitment that will see me plant up to 50 Million trees in my lifetime to assist in the stabilizing of our environment as the country’s population and industrialization keeps growing everyday as the president is keen on attaining and needed 10% forest cover for a better green economy.
Burudi still plans to set up a tree program at the Kuvasali /Nandi escarpment within Kakamega county to hold the soil from frequent fatal mudslides being witnessed there.
He calls on the youth to engage in tree planting as a source of income generating activity instead of searching for white collar jobs which the political class has failed to create and called on non governmental organizations to introduce the youth to hydroponic farming and agriculture as a source of livelihood.He however observes that his tree-planting program has come with its challenges including labour intensive hence
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