President Ruto expected in Trans Nzoia as government targets 17.24 million trees

NAIROBI,Kenya Oct 10 – President William Ruto is expected in Trans Nzoia County on Saturday for Mazingira Day celebrations, as the government rolls out a nationwide campaign targeting the planting of 17.24 million trees.

The President will attend the national tree-growing ceremony at Konoin Primary School in Shikhendu before proceeding to Kenya Seed Company’s Elgon Downs Farm in Endebess, where the campaign will continue.

Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa said the exercise would bring together government agencies, schools, local communities and other stakeholders in a coordinated push to increase tree cover and restore degraded ecosystems.

Trans Nzoia will host the national event, while planting activities will take place at 79 sites in 31 counties, with more than 51,000 community planters expected to participate under the coordination of the Kenya Forest Service and Community Forest Associations.

The campaign will also enlist village elders, prison authorities and the National Youth Service, with each group assigned specific planting targets.

Village elders are expected to plant 100 trees in each of the country’s 77,252 villages, translating to more than 7.7 million trees. The Kenya Prisons Service has a target of one million trees across 68 facilities, while the National Youth Service will plant another 1.5 million.

Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions and basic education schools will also be involved in the exercise.

Barasa said the government had prepared seedlings and planting sites ahead of the event, adding that digital systems would be used to monitor the exercise and track the progress of seedlings after planting.

The JazaMiti platform will be used to geo-tag trees and record planting activities in real time, allowing authorities to monitor implementation and assess survival rates.

“Every tree will be counted, geo-tagged and certified. This is accountability in action. We are building systems that ensure every seedling planted is tracked for survival and impact,” she said.

The government plans to conduct seedling survival checks after 90 days, alongside quarterly reviews of tree-growing pledges and continued support for farmer groups and Community Forest Associations.

The exercise forms part of the National 15-Billion Tree Growing Programme, which aims to grow 15 billion trees by 2032.

Barasa said the programme involved multiple government departments, including those responsible for education, agriculture, defence, prisons, roads and mining, in addition to environment and forestry agencies.

She said Trans Nzoia had been selected to host the national celebrations because of its efforts in environmental stewardship, adding that local communities and institutions had a central role in sustaining conservation initiatives.

This year’s Mazingira Week began on October 5 and ends on Saturday, October 10, under the theme, “Our Environment, Our Responsibility: Collective Action for Tree Growing and Environmental Stewardship.”

Barasa urged Kenyans to participate in tree planting, seedling care and community clean-ups, saying environmental protection required consistent public involvement beyond national commemorations.

She said the campaign was intended to contribute to the protection of water towers, restoration of soils, conservation of biodiversity and improved resilience to climate change.

The CS said the responsibility of safeguarding the environment extended to households, learning institutions, religious organisations, businesses, civil society groups and development partners.

“Plant a tree. Adopt a seedling. Join a community clean-up. Support a school or a Community Forest Association. Encourage your neighbour. Teach your children,” she said.