EXCLUSIVE: Catholic Church tells Ruto to make tree planting a regular exercise
The Catholic Church has asked the government to transform the recent national tree-planting exercise into a frequent activity and not a one-off.
Nairobi Archbishop Philip Anyolo says the President William Ruto-led administration should make it a daily exercise to enable the country to restore the ecosystem.
“The exercise we saw the other day should be a daily activity, not a one-off,” said Archbishop Anyolo.
However, the Catholic Archbishop lauded the move, stating that it is the beginning of reversing the devastating effects of climate change.
“By growing trees, it is one of the approaches to help mitigate the effects of climate change,” said the priest.
Archbishop Anyolo made these remarks during the recent launch of the Caritas Nairobi Dairy Unit in Limuru, Kiambu County.
The milk processing unit is a Nairobi Archdiocese-founded project aimed at benefiting smallholder dairy farmers in Kiambu County.
Kiambu operates under the Archdiocese of Nairobi.
The establishment of the milk plant was sponsored by Caritas Italiana, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), CELIM, and Missio Invest at a cost of over Sh150 million.
About 20,000 farmers are expected to benefit from the factory.
Through the aggregation program, farmers are receiving commercial feed at a subsidized price and training on silage making, water harvesting, and biogas production under climate-smart agriculture resilience initiatives to support and cushion them against the devastating effects of climate change, especially during dry seasons.
Archbishop Anyolo said the campaign on tree planting across the country, if taken seriously, will help address climate change effects alongside alleviating poverty and food insecurity, as some trees produce fruit.
“The government should ensure that no one goes to bed hungry. It should engage the youth more in the tree planting exercise,” he told Nairobi News.
The Kenya Kwanza Government has set a target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.
Monday, November 13, 2023, was announced as a public holiday for Kenyans to plant tree seedlings, an exercise that was led by Cabinet Secretaries in all the counties.
Also read: Actress Jackie Matubia celebrates ‘special’ brother’s birthday
Stop with the judgement already! End stigma against people with tattoos