The realisation of enhanced forest cover in Siaya County will be achieved effectively through the primary schools robust tree planting programmes among other initiatives.
Siaya County’s Climate Change multi stakeholders forum have identified the input of 4K clubs in all primary schools to help on championing the tree planting in all the villages.
Sustainable Enterprise for Livelihood Development (SELD) Executive Director Collins Owade disclosed that the programme is already ongoing and that the organisation was working closely with the Ministry of Education for the success of the programme.
The SELD executive director said that by leveraging on 4k clubs in schools, 10 seedlings will be given to each child each month to plant and nurture as a way of boosting forest cover in Siaya.
He was speaking during the celebration to mark the World Environmental Day in Bondo where one acre food forest was established which will also produce 300, 000 fruit tree seedlings at the Bondo Deputy county commissioners’ compound.
Chief guest during the ceremony was Siaya County Commissioner Nobert Komora who also asked residents of Siaya to engage in environmental conservation and tree planting initiatives to boost the dwindling fish population in Lake Victoria.
Komora observed that the low forest cover and destruction of environment along the lake region has contributed significantly to dwindling fish stocks in the lake.
The commissioner said that without adequate forest cover, the fish ecosystem cannot get enough food forcing the fish to migrate and breed in waters outside Kenyan boarders where the ecosystems are rich in food nutrients.
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“Fishermen from this region have to go far into foreign waters to fish because the ecosystem on our side of the lake can no longer support fish breeding. This has led to frequent conflicts with neighbouring countries and untold suffering by our fishermen,” Komora said.
The county commissioner said that the continuous arrest of Kenyan fishermen in Lake Victoria could be a thing of the past if the residents took the initiative to improve the ecosystem on the Kenyan side of the lake by planting trees and conserving the environment.
Siaya County is currently at 5.4 per cent and that they target to plant 14.9 million trees by 2032.
He urged the Chief and their assistants to get acquainted to the “Jaza Miti App” to adequately and timely report on trees planted in region to contribute to the national target.
“I believe we have done a lot of tree planting in Siaya but the documentation is letting us down. I urge all the chiefs and other stakeholders to report the number of tree planted through the “Jaza Miti App,” “Komora said.
Siaya County Forest Conservator William Ojijo said the region has only has two gazetted hill tops which are Got Ramogi and Got Abiero that spans over 600 hectares.
Ojijo revealed that the remaining 13 hill tops including community lands are almost bare and needs afforestation to combat effects of climate change.
The forest conservator disclosed that his office is working in collaboration with the county government and other stakeholders to ensure that afforestation is undertaken in both the gazetted and non gazetted hill tops in the county to improve forest cover.
By Erick Nyayiera
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