The government, through the Ministry of Interior has issued instructions to Kenyans on what to do during the tree planting holiday on Monday, November 13, 2023.
In a statement, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, urged all Kenyans to participate in the exercise that will be led by President William Ruto.
Further, Dr Omollo asked the public to visit the chiefs’ offices on Monday for tree seedlings.
“Members of the public are advised to visit their nearest Chief’s office for tree seedlings and liaise with the area Assistant County Commissioner and Deputy County Commissioner in respective Counties,” read part of a brief from the Ministry of Interior.
Notably, the National Tree Growing Day has been set aside to take advantage of the ongoing rains across the country.
Also Read: Kindiki Declares Monday a Public Holiday
Furthermore, the exercise is part of Kenya’s Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Program to plant 15 billion trees.
The President will launch the exercise at Kiu Wetland in Makindu, Makueni County.
At the same time, the trees will be planted in forest ecosystems in all 47 Counties and the exercise will be led by Cabinet Secretaries and other government officials in each county.
“At County level, tree growing activities will be championed by Cabinet Secretaries in at least two counties, hosted by respective Governors and supported by Principal Secretaries, County Commissioners, and other Senior Government/State officials,” read part of the statement.
The Ministry of environment, Climate Change and Forestry will work closely with the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs) in coordinating the exercise.
According to the statement, the County Commissioners convened technical planning teams in their respective counties comprising of representatives from the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) among other government and non-government stakeholders.
Tree-Planting Public Holiday
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki declared the holiday on November 6, following a cabinet meeting chaired by President Ruto.
“The Government has declared a special holiday on Monday, November 13, 2023, during which the public across the Country shall be expected to plant trees as a patriotic contribution to the national efforts to save our Country from the devastating effects of Climate Change,” said Kindiki.
Further, the CS said the holiday would not affect the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.
“National Examinations scheduled for that day shall proceed normally,” the notice from Interior clarified.
Similarly, Soipan Tuya, Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary, urged Kenyans to travel to their villages to plant trees the national tree planting day.
“We should take up tree growing as a national duty, given the importance of trees in enhancing livelihoods and supporting our climate change resilience,” she said.
