Residents of Kisii County have been asked to turn up in large numbers to plant trees during this year's Mazingira Day celebrations.
Kisii County Forestry Officer William Ojijo thanked Ibeno Ward MCA Stephen Arika and the Board of Management of Chirichiro Comprehensive School for accepting to host the county celebrations in their compound.
Speaking to Education News, Ojijo said the county is targeting to increase its forest cover in line with the national government's target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.
He explained that increasing green cover is critical in mitigating global warming and climate change caused by human activities such as deforestation, uncontrolled charcoal burning, poor farming methods that expose soil, encroachment on wetlands and riparian lands, emissions from industries and vehicles, and poor waste disposal.
"When we cut trees without replacing them, we release carbon that has been stored for years. That carbon forms a blanket in the atmosphere, traps heat and makes the earth hotter than normal," Ojijo said.
He noted that trees act as carbon sinks by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, while also cooling the environment, reducing soil erosion, conserving water sources, attracting rainfall and protecting biodiversity.
Ogamba expected at celebrations
Meanwhile, MCA Stephen Arika confirmed that the occasion will be graced by Cabinet Secretary for Education Julius Ogamba and appealed to all learning institutions to prepare choirs to entertain guests at the event, which will start at 8:00 a.m.
Arika said tree planting will be done on Friday, 9th, instead of Saturday, 10th, to give the majority of residents from the region who are Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) faithful an opportunity to participate without any religious obstacle standing in their way.
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The team was speaking at Chirichiro Comprehensive School, where they inspected preparations for the occasion and said they were satisfied with its readiness.
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