• Kenyans to plant 100m seedlings on tree-planting holiday.
• The government is distributing seedlings for free at its forest agency centers.
• The response to the initiative has been described as “amazing.”

Kenyans have been granted a special holiday dedicated to planting 100 million trees, aligning with the government’s ambitious target to plant 15 billion trees within a decade.

Environment Minister Soipan Tuya highlighted that this holiday empowers “each and every Kenyan to own the initiative.”

The goal is for each Kenyan to contribute by planting at least two seedlings, collectively reaching the 100 million target. Public nurseries have made approximately 150 million seedlings available for this purpose.

The government is distributing seedlings for free at its forest agency centers, urging citizens to plant them in designated public areas. Additionally, Kenyans are encouraged to buy at least two seedlings for planting on their private land.

President William Ruto is actively leading the tree-planting initiative in Makueni in the eastern part of the country. Cabinet ministers have been assigned to oversee the process in other regions alongside county governors.

The monitoring of tree planting will be facilitated through the Jaza Miti app, an internet application that allows individuals and organizations to record activities, including plant species, quantity, and planting date.

The app will assist in selecting suitable seedlings by matching the site with the appropriate species, according to the Environment Ministry.

Environment Minister Tuya acknowledged challenges while the response to the initiative has been described as “amazing.”

She revealed that there had been two million registrations on the app by Sunday but clarified that planting would not occur in the flood-affected northeastern region.

There are concerns about its organization while Kenyans have generally welcomed the tree-planting initiative. Environmentalist Teresa Muthoni praised the idea but noted challenges, including the need for individuals to prioritize work for financial sustenance.

Additionally, she emphasized the importance of planting the right trees in the right locations.

Critics have pointed out the government’s failure to curb illegal logging in public forests despite promoting tree planting. Minister Tuya defended the decision to lift the logging ban, stating that only forests designated for commercial purposes were affected.

She asserted that this was crucial to meet local wood demand, create jobs, and emphasized the government’s actions against illegal loggers in other forests.

Minister Tuya emphasized that the tree-planting initiative addresses food security, serves as a climate change mitigation strategy, and aims to combat cyclical droughts and floods.

The minister expects the planting efforts to extend beyond the special holiday, with a target of 500 million trees planted by the end of the rainy season in December.

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