Environment Cabinet Secretary Saipan Tuya on Thursday, May 9 called on Kenyans to take up the responsibility of buying trees for the national tree planting day.
Speaking during the memorial of Kenyans who were affected by the floods in Mai Mahiu, the CS expressed that Kenyans do not need to wait for free seedlings from the government.
She noted that many Kenyans were asking for seedlings ahead of the nationwide exercise.
According to the CS, seedlings were available at the Kenya Forest Services (KFS) offices across the country.
Further, she opined that Kenyans could also buy the seedlings from various youths who are selling the seedlings along the roads.
"People are asking me for seedlings. Fellow Kenyans, please don't wait for somebody to bring a seedling to your doorstep, please take responsibility. We have young people who have tree nurseries along our highways.
"Please spare something little for 50 seedlings only. Plant them somewhere and make sure you take care of them to maturity," she stated.
On the other hand, she called on Kenyans to embrace the national tree-planting exercise which is slated for Friday, May 10.
She thanked Kenyans for showing up in the first national exercise that took place in November 2023, further highlighting the importance of planting trees and combating the effects of climate change.
"We are asking every Kenyan to plant 50 seedlings. We are 50 million Kenyans, if you plant 50 and the children plant 10 seedlings, we can plant 1 billion trees in a day," Tuya added.
Meanwhile, the CS highlighted that the evacuations along the riparian land would continue even past the ongoing rains.
She noted that the main reason for the evacuations was to safeguard the environment and prevent future disasters such as floods.
