The first lady Rachel Ruto has launched the landscape and ecosystem restoration strategy at karura forest with a plan to grow 500 million trees by the year 2032.
The first lady was accompanied by the environment cabinet secretary Soipan Tuya alongside forestry PS Mugambi Gitonga.
Soipan Tuya, the environment CS acknowledged the first lady’s role in the government’s 15 billion national tree growing programme.
“I wish to recognize and acknowledge the role of the first lady in leading from the front; by taking up a significant portion of the 15 billion tree growing initiative to deliver her target of growing 500 million trees by 2032. This will account for 3.2% of the national tree growing target,” Soipan Tuya
Rachel Ruto’s launch happens at a time when the sixth session of the UN Environmental Assembly (UNEA-6) is still ongoing at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and is intended to end by March 1, 2024. Speaking at the UNEA6 opening on Monday, environment CS shared her concerns on the environmental crisis, calling for mass engagement in order to achieve the UN goal of sustainable development.
“A lot of action, hard work, honest negotiations and leadership are therefore needed over the next week if the UN environment assembly is to live to its promise.”
Various UN officials were present in the launch, among them the UNEA-6 president Leila Benali. The UNEA-6 intends to focus on how multilateralism can help tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, pollution and waste.
Rachel Ruto launches 500 million tree planting programme