A nongovernmental organization that deals with environmental conservation is now pushing members of the county assembly (MCAs) to develop tree nursery beds in their respective wards to promote a tree planting culture in the county.
Natural Resource Organization chairperson Nicholas Murero decried that despite the presidential directive issued in 2022 to plant over 15 billion trees in ten years, there was little being done in the wards to achieve the target.
He said the MCAs should lead by example by establishing mega tree nursery beds in their wards where the residents can get the seedlings free of charge. "I feel the MCAs should work closely with the department of Kenya Forest Service (KFS), who will provide the technical knowledge on how to establish the tree nursery beds and also guide on the best trees to plant in the specific regions," he said.
Murero noted that many individuals, families and institutions were yet to plant a single tree since the directive was issued because of the challenges of accessing seedlings. "I have spoken with many locals who confessed to be willing to plant trees but had a challenge of accessing the seedlings," he said.