The best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago. The second best time is now

Trans Nzoia’s villages carry a lesson Kenya’s voters cannot afford to ignore.

By Simon Juma

The best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago. The second best time is now. This proverb is about the environment, but it is equally about leadership.

In Trans Nzoia County, two villages tell the story plainly. In Siata Village, farmers sit in the sun complaining about high fertiliser costs, poor maize prices and roads that disappear after every election. In Big Tree Village, an entire community owes its name and identity to a single tree planted generations ago by men who thought beyond themselves. One act of foresight made a village famous. Decades of wrong choices made a county poorer.

We planted bad seeds. We planted tribalism, corruption and the politics of personal gain. We asked whether a candidate shared our clan, not whether he had integrity. We treated elections as harvests rather than planting seasons. Small wonder the shade never came.

But we cannot change 30 years ago. We can only change today. That means selecting seeds of principle over personality, competence over connection, and vision over short-term reward. It means understanding that voting is not the end of the work — leadership, like a tree, demands continuous tending, accountability and strong institutions.

The children in Siata and Big Tree Village will inherit whatever we plant now. In 2055, they will either sit in the shade of honest, visionary leadership or curse the same hot sun their parents cursed.

The second best time is now. Plant wisely.

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