A robust drive to ensure planting of trees to boost forest cover has begun in Bondo, with primary schools taking overall lead in a bid to mitigate climate change.
Bondo Sub-county Director of Education Alfred Mwaimba committed to ensure that all the schools in the region register their 4K clubs to boost nurture of tree seedlings in the region in established tree nurseries.
“So far only 64 schools have 4K clubs. I will embark on ensuring all the over 200 schools in the sub-county have registered 4K clubs to undertake tree seedling growing in support of climate action initiatives,” said Mwaimba.
The director appealed to stakeholders like the NGCDF to support the fencing of schools to ensure safety of the tree nurseries.
This comes even as the Bondo Sub-county begins mobilization for tree champions to support climate change initiatives.
Alongside the intervention of schools, the Bondo Sub-county has begun the mobilization of 723 tree champions across all its 360 villages.
According to Bondo Deputy County Commissioner Joseph Otieno, two champions picked from each village will lead the process of planting trees in the villages where they are expected to mentor others to do the same.
“I am happy we have had a stakeholders’ meeting on climate change and we have discussed a raft of measures, including identification and mobilization of tree champions across all the 360 villages in Bondo and I am confident we will achieve,” said Otieno.
Speaking during the launch of a model tree nursery at Bondo DCC compound, Otieno disclosed that in order to have enough seedlings for the sub-county, all assistant chiefs and chiefs will have tree nurseries at their offices.
He also appealed to churches and other institutions to develop tree nurseries to produce enough seedlings for the sub-county.
Greening Kenya Initiative Trust social entrepreneur Shakespeare Onyango Ariwi said the champions will help in implementing the governments’ locally led climate action plan undertaken at the household level.
Onyango disclosed that his organization, anchored under the National Treasury’s green economy unit, has received Ksh156 million to support climate change initiatives in Siaya County.
“We want the money to reach all the Wards in Siaya to bring enough inputs that would support tree growing which comes with a lot of costs,” Onyango said.
He called upon the community to utilize the funds to adopt transformative, innovative and bankable climate actions.
The social entrepreneur disclosed that the initiative has prioritized the growing of fruit trees that would guarantee both forest cover and carbon sync.
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By Erick Nyayiera
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