President William Ruto led the Mazingira Day celebrations on Friday, October 10, by planting trees at State House, where he was joined by children from State House Primary School.
In a statement, the head of state called upon all Kenyans to embrace the national tree-planting initiative as the country works toward an ambitious target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.
"We call on every Kenyan to contribute to the national tree-planting drive as we work towards our ambitious goal of 15 billion trees by 2032," President Ruto said.
The President announced that the government will distribute seedlings nationwide to support the massive afforestation campaign.
In partnership with the National Youth Service, he revealed that the Kenya Forest Service will deploy 15,000 NYS officers to revitalize 300 nurseries in forest areas nationwide.
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Additionally, the government plans to establish 17 mega nurseries capable of producing two billion seedlings annually for Kenyans to plant.
President Ruto emphasized that this year's Mazingira Day exercise will focus especially on planting fruit trees, a strategic decision that aims to achieve multiple national objectives.
"The seedlings will include fruit trees to strengthen not only our food security, but also create opportunities for export, agro-processing, and generate jobs and wealth for our people," he stated.
The Head of State noted that the tree-planting initiative would play a crucial role in environmental conservation beyond economic benefits.
"This initiative will also protect our water catchments and reduce the effects of climate change," he added. "Joined State House Primary School pupils for a tree planting exercise to mark Mazingira Day at State House, Nairobi."
The Mazingira Day celebrations were marked across the country under the theme "Citizen-Centric Tree Growing and Environmental Stewardship," with schools serving as primary venues for the tree-planting exercise.
The Ministry of Education had directed all learning institutions to ensure students attend classes on Friday between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm to participate in the environmental activity.
Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok issued a circular on Thursday instructing regional, county, and sub-county education directors to coordinate the exercise within their areas.
Schools were tasked with planting a minimum of 2,000 fruit trees each, and the ministry encouraged participation from alumni, current students, and local communities to maximize the initiative's impact.
According to the Education Ministry, the program aims to advance environmental conservation while improving school nutrition by creating and expanding fruit tree orchards within educational institutions.
The exercise also seeks to strengthen connections between schools and their alumni by rallying former students to support projects that benefit their alma mater.
