Vihiga, Kenya – The Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Soipan Tuya, has announced a plan to plant over 23 million trees in Vihiga County within the next ten years.
According to Kenya News Agency, this ambitious target will be achieved by planting more than two million seedlings annually, in collaboration with the county government and other stakeholders. The initiative includes the reintroduction of the Plantation Establishment for Livelihoods Improvement Scheme (PELIS) in public forests, allowing locals to grow food crops alongside tree plantations.
During a tree planting exercise at the Kibiri forest block in Hamisi Sub County, over 10,000 indigenous tree seedlings were planted. The illegal gold mining activities in the area, however, pose a threat to forest conservation efforts. Governor Dr. Wilber Ottichilo committed to increasing the county’s forest cover from 35.3 percent to 40 percent in five years. He disclosed ongoing efforts to rehabilitate Maragoli hills forest and a school greening programme that began in April. The County Commissioner, Felix Watakila, called for widespread tree planting in homesteads and practice of agroforestry, urging cooperation with authorities to maintain law and order.