Kenya still lags behind in ensuring that it has an adequate forest cover.
Numerous cases of forest encroachment and logging are to blame for the quick disappearing of the country’s forest cover.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has seen it as a concern and reviewed the country’s Vision 2030 of having a 10% forest cover by 2022 where the country is to attain a target of planting a total of two billion trees.
One man, Caleb Burudi, has taken it upon himself to set up a five million tree nursery in Karen Nairobi and another one mllion in Kakamega County along the Kakamega-Webuye road.
Through his initiative “Police 1 Million trees to arrest climate change in Kenya”, he distributes hundreds of trees per police station. He is walking the talk in greening the country.
Through his Calexo tree nursery and Casteline Africa in conjunction with various organizations, Burudi is targeting all police stations in the country.
“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 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 his 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 neighbourhood association so that they can help to distribute 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 effect 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 intensity.
