Written by Saka Richard and Eric Lumbasi 2012-06-05 20:30:00 Read 1569 Times

Children from Children of hope at kinyoro in Saboti Constituency being helped to plant trees in marking the World Environment Day. The children planted more than 1000 trees. [ Photos  | Saka Richard | West Fm]

As the world marked the World Environment Day under its theme of ‘Green Economy: does it include you? Residents of Trans Nzoia West District were urged to increase tree cover to avert climate change and its effects.

Speaking at Children of Hope Home at Kinyoro area in Saboti, Maryleen Muchemi an environmentalist noted that most of the Saboti division was forested up to Mt. Elgon and wondered where the trees went.

She urged the locals to celebrate the day in honor of the late Prof. Wangari Maathai by planting ten trees each thus fulfilling the promise the late environmentalist left to Kenyans.

The locals joined hands with the children housed at the home in planting more than one thousand seedlings of indigenous trees at the home and its environs.

Marleen Muchemi an Environmetalist, joins the children in planting tree seedling. She said they were rolling out a million trees planting campaign that is to end in 2014.

Muchemi said that they choose the home as a starting point of reforestrating Mt. Elgon in a bid to ensure they instilled the values of tree planting and conservation among the young kids so as they grow up knowing the importance of the practice.

The home’s director Mrs. Roselyn Wairuri was joyful of the choice disclosing that the tress will remind the children of their origin when they grow up and will bond them to the institution.

Muchemi noted that they were rolling out a million-tree campaign before 2014 to increase the percentage of tree cover in the country.

Students of Kamusinga Girls' and  St. Bridgits Girls of Kiminini mark the world Environmet Day by planting 500 trees at Kimilili DEB primary school [Photo | Eric Lumbasi]

Elsewhere, in Kimilili District of Bungoma County, community based organizations, students and various government workers from different ministries celebrated the day in style by planting more than 500 tree seedlings at Kimilili DEB primary school.

Led by the Kimilili District Officer Daniel Okana the environmentalists marched through Kimilili town singing and carrying placards displaying the message of mobilizing the residents to plant trees to help deal with the negative effects of climatic change.

Students from St. Bridgits girl’s high school -Kiminini and Moi girls Kamusinga's environmental Clubs were on the forefront spreading the message of the importance of trees to the community hence urging them to plant more.

 ''We have planted trees on a quarter acre piece of land and we conduct a cleaning exercise in Kiminini market once every month to show our commitment to have a clean environment,'' said Kerren Chebet, the St Bridgits Club Chairlady.

On the other side, the Moi girls’ Kamusinga Club disclosed to have benefitted from the tree nursery project in their school by selling seedlings to the community and donating the money to needy students.

“The community has been very supportive to our project through the purchase of seedlings thus, I urge other schools to emulate and implement this project in their schools as a way to ensure our country does not succumb to global warming in years to come,'' said Noel Wanyonyi the Moi Girls chairlady.

Kimilili District Officer Daniel Okana called upon the youth in the region to form youth groups and engage in preparing seedlings through tree nurseries and later sell them instead of waiting for career opportunities to show up in the formal sector.

Okana urged the residents to plant more trees at their homes rather than fight to inherit the existing ones from their parents. 

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