Dedan Kimathi Foundation Spearheads Forest Restoration With Tree Planting Drive

By John Kariuki

The government has intensified tree planting across the country in a bid to increase forest cover.

Kenya Forest Service in collaboration with the Dedan Kimathi Foundation  (DKF), the Kenya Defence Forces,  County Governments of Kiambu & Nyandarua, and Ragia Community Forest Association has today held a tree planting exercise at Ragia forest station in Kiambu County where 30,000 indigenous tree seedlings were planted as part of the activities happening countrywide with the ongoing rains.

The tree planting exercise, which was led by the Chief Conservator of Forests Julius Kamau, EBSJulius Kamau, EBS , also witnessed the signing of a Framework for Collaboration between KFS and DKF to formalize a commitment by the foundation to plant 30 million tree seedlings over a decade(2020-2030). The framework was signed by the CCF and DKF CEO Ms. Evelyn Kimathi.

In this collaboration, KFS will offer technical support and identify suitable sites where the foundation will mobilize tree-growing activities.

In the same framework, the Service has also committed to supporting the initiative with a million and one tree seedlings, including the ones that were planted during the exercise.

Speaking during the event, the CCF lauded the effectiveness of the principle of “leaving no one behind” and public, private, people, partnership model that brought together all the participating players towards tree growing, noting how forests serve the entire nation with ecological goods and services (air, water, good climate, etc) critical for human survival.

He underscored the importance of protecting the environment observing that without so doing, the peace and security of the people would not be guaranteed due to scarcity of resources; noting that water scarcity is among the leading cause of community conflicts, and forests enhance its provision.

The CCF also lauded the support from KDF noting that through the civil-military cooperation, KDF has supported the Service by sinking boreholes in Kajiado and Thika to support tree nursery production and forest adjacent communities.