Residents Urged to Replace Crops with Indigenous Trees along Riparian Land

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A Community Based Organisation dubbed Kiptapkei yesterday led Nandi County in celebrating the world environmental day.

The CBO that champion environmental conservation through propagating seedlings, planting them as well as nurturing them to maturity in collaboration with the government and other stakeholders managed to plant over 15000 indigenous tree seedlings along Chebarus River which borders Nandi East and Tinderet sub-counties.

Speaking during the event held at Chebarusi area, the CBO patron Joel Malakwen called on communities residing near rivers to stop cultivating land along the riparian areas but rather replace food crops with indigenous trees that are suitable for environmental conservation.

Malakwen noted that cultivation near rivers contribute to soil erosion and water pollution as chemicals and fertilizers used in the farms end up at the waters sources thus endangering the lives of people and animals that use the same water.

“Cultivating at the riparian areas destroy land as well as pollute water sources. Communities living near rivers should replace crops like maize, sugarcane and tea with indigenous trees as a measure to conserve their environment. Those residing in uphill should also take care of those living downhill by embracing environmental conservation through tree growing,” explained Malakwen.

He added that the CBO targeted to plant 60million trees within the next10 years in a bid to support the President’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) of planting 15billion trees.  The patron further noted that as a CBO they are planting trees in order to restore forests which are habitats for wild animals some of which risk extinction.

Nandi County Executive Committee Member (CEC) for Lands, Housing, Physical planning, Water, Urban development, Natural Resources and Climate Change Philemon Bureti echoed the sentiments noting that Nandi County had passed a law that prohibits people from cultivating along rivers as well as planting trees that destroy water catchments like eucalyptus.

Bureti added that as from July this year they will be clearing eucalyptus trees that are planted within 30 metres from the rivers. “As from July Nandi government officers will be clearing eucalyptus trees planted within 30 metres from the rivers. To prevent landslides and mud slide we are looking forward to collaborate with the department of agriculture to issue coffee seedlings and fruit seedling to farmers to plant on hilly areas,” pointed CEC Bureti.

Present at the same event Tinderet Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Esther Oyugi called on residents and environmental stakeholders to ensure they nurture all planted trees noting that without nurturing the seedlings to maturity there will be no trees.

“The climate changes we are experiencing is as a result of what we are doing in our environment. Let us preserve the environment for posterity. Plant trees that are water ecosystem friendly,” said Oyugi adding that trees can be planted with crops to increase forest cover.