Kisumu to plant three million trees to boost forest cover

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Environment

The county government of Kisumu has rolled out a restoration program to boost forest cover in the area. This follows concerns over the poor forest cover in the county which currently stands at 2%. Deputy governor Dr. Mathews Owili said the forest cover was one of the lowest in the country adding that measures have been put in place to carry out a major reforestation campaign at Karateng and Koguta gazetted forests to address the concern.

The initiative to be implemented in collaboration with partners, he said, aims to plant three million trees to help the county bridge the gap and address climate change effects brought about by environmental degradation. Dr. Owili said the Executive Order issued by Governor Prof. Anyang Nyong’o on November 16th, 2022 setting aside the 10th of every month as Kisumu City Tree Planting Day shall be enforced to give impetus to the drive.

All residents and county government staff, he said, shall be required to plant trees and monitor their growth to ensure that the set target is reached. He said that the county executive has developed a policy to make environmental conservation a core duty, adding that all county government workers shall be appraised to ensure they meet their set targets.

Speaking during World Environment Day celebrations in Kisumu, Owili said the county government will allocate resources through the budget towards environmental management, adaptation and mitigation programs. Other initiatives, he said, include establishment of tree nurseries across the eight Sub-Counties, strengthening institutional capacity and strengthening of climate change units from the ward to the county levels.

He added that plans were underway to gazette and protect three identified water towers of Nyatigo Hills in Seme Sub-County, Kajuku Hills in Kisumu East Sub-County and Koru Hills in Muhoroni Sub-County. Climate change, he said, was a reality calling for collaboration with partners and the national government to help address desertification and land degradation in the area.

“By restoring degraded lands such as those in Katuk Odeyo in Nyakach, abandoned quarries and submerged areas we can improve our ecosystem services, enhance biodiversity and support livelihoods,” he said. Kisumu County, he said has borne the brunt of climate change, with the recent floods displacing thousands of people and causing massive destruction to crops and infrastructure.

“Specifically, the back flow from Lake Victoria which has adversely affected villages in Nyando, Kadibo, Kisumu Central and Seme Sub-Counties is a clear warning that we are yet to see the worst of adverse Climatic changes,” he said. The county, which is a beneficiary of the Financing Locally Led Climate Action (FLoCA) project, he said, will be able to build resilience and climate adaptation interventions to deal with the adverse effects of the phenomenon.

Among the programs to be undertaken, he said, is investment in waste to wealth initiatives to create job opportunities for the youth. So far, he said Waste Material Recovery (MRF) facilities have been constructed in Mamboleo, Otonglo, Obunga, Kasawino and Manyatta.

National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) County Director of Environment Lenard Ofula said land degradation remained a big challenge in the area resulting in the pollution of Lake Victoria. Water from agricultural land, he said, is washed into Lake Victoria adversely affecting the delicate lake ecosystem.

This, coupled with desertification brought about by deforestation, he said, was behind the effects of climate change being experienced in the area. NEMA in collaboration with the county government and other partners, he said, was on course in the implementation of various initiatives to restore the environment.

“During the planning period for these celebrations, the planning committee has overseen planting of 5,000 trees to help in the restoration efforts,” he said.