Tinderet – With the reopening of schools set for Monday, Tinderet Member of Parliament Julius Melly has called on parents to exercise caution and personally escort their children to school, especially when crossing rivers, due to ongoing heavy rains across the country. This safety measure aims to protect children from the heightened risk of floods, which have affected new areas this season.
According to Kenya News Agency, who spoke during a tree planting event at Gotnelel Girls Secondary School, the Constituency Development Fund has been mobilized to repair flood-damaged school infrastructure in time for the new term. Additionally, as a long-term flood mitigation effort, two percent of the constituency’s development fund will be allocated towards tree planting initiatives to increase forest cover.
The tree planting drive is not only aimed at environmental restoration, particularly in riparian zones to prevent flooding and landslides but also as a means to provide employment opportunities for youth. Melly mentioned that the youth would be involved in producing seedlings, which the CDF will purchase for distribution to schools and religious institutions, contributing to the national goal of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.
Tinderet Deputy County Commissioner Esther Oyugi also emphasized the need for caution, advising residents living in riparian areas or landslide-prone zones to relocate to safer locations. Her concerns were underscored by recent geological events, such as a rockfall in the Torondo area.
As schools prepare to resume, the Kenya Forest Service’s Tinderet Sub-County Manager, Fredrick Lito, reported that over 20,500 seedlings were planted locally on National Tree Planting Day. Lito detailed the specific areas where thousands of trees were added, including in Tinderet Forest and Nyayo Tea Zones, noting that the forest cover in Tinderet and Nandi County now surpasses 20 percent.
In support of this green initiative, the KFS is offering seedlings free of charge or at subsidized rates to encourage the community to plant trees during the ongoing rainy season, aligning with national conservation efforts.