Nairobi: The Kenya Forest Service (KFS), in partnership with stakeholders, has launched the Short Rains Tree Planting Season in Uasin Gishu County to accelerate national efforts in landscape and ecosystem restoration. Speaking during the rollout at Timboroa Forest Station, where he led residents in planting 25,000 tree seedlings, Dr. Thomas Kiptoo, Acting Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests in charge of Forest Advisory and County Liaison, stated the initiative is part of the government’s 15 billion Tree Growing Campaign launched by President William Ruto in December 2022.
According to Kenya News Agency, in the two years since the start of this programme, over 846 million seedlings have been planted nationwide with support from counties, government institutions, and community forest associations. Dr. Kiptoo emphasized that the program focuses on protecting water catchments, improving food security, and building a climate-resilient future, ensuring that future generations inherit a greener and healthier nation
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Dr. Kiptoo highlighted that the program has also supported livelihoods by aiding nursery operators, with private tree nursery operators producing over 15 million seedlings and earning more than Sh750 million since its inception. Community Forest Association chairman, Peter Kimani Ndung’u, praised the initiative for its benefits, including improved rainfall and better food production.
Chief Conservator of Forests, Alex Lemarkoko, shared that tree planting efforts across all 47 counties have been encouraging, with 846,863,143 seedlings planted and geo-tagged via the Jaza Miti digital platform for transparency and accountability. In the 2023/2024 financial year, KFS supported seedling production in more than 300 government nurseries and collaborated with communities and private operators to ensure quality seedlings were available.
Additionally, 561 million seedlings were supplied nationwide through partnerships with counties, NGOs, and corporate sponsors. To further boost production, 205 million biodegradab
le potting bags were distributed to KFS nurseries. Mr. Lemarkoko mentioned that KFS has upgraded its online reporting portal to enhance efficiency and data-driven decision-making in the tree-growing programme.
President Ruto launched the initiative under the theme ’15 billion Trees, Kazi Yetu, Urithi Wetu,’ aiming to restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded landscapes by 2032, enhance biodiversity, and ensure sustainable livelihoods.
