Ministry of Roads and Transport Committed to Meeting Tree Growing Targets

The Ministry of Roads and Transport together with its agencies undertook tree growing in Homa Bay County Thursday November 7, 2024 as part of the attainment of the 15 billion tree growing national goal by 2032.

The exercise was in compliance with the requirement by the Ministry to plant trees every first Thursday of the Month in allocated sites as outlined in the Ministry’s National tree growing targets and allocated planting sites program.

Nationally, The Ministry of Roads and Transport was allocated Mombasa and Homa Bay Counties to coordinate tree growing activities and achieve an annual target of 5,615,152 trees as part of the attainment of the 15 billion tree growing national goal by 2032.

Each of the two State Departments in the Ministry were allocated 1, 871,717 trees to plant in Homa Bay Couty. The Ministry is required to plant trees, take note and fast-track on specific targets to achieve half of the annual target during the short rains in October-December 2024.

The achievement of targets will form basis for evaluation of the commitments under “Implementation of Presidential Directives” performance indicator. State Department for Transport headquarters and its agencies KPA, KRC, KAA, KCAA, LAPSSET, NaMATA and NTSA.

The program recommends that acquisition of seedlings be undertaken in liaison and consultation with Kenya Forest Service an agency within the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry.

Mombasa County planting site was Dongo Kundu Mangroves, while in Homa Bay County the tree planting sites were Ondango Wetlands, Gwasi Hills, Gembe Hills, and Rangwe Forest.

The State Department for Transport was given an annual target of 1,871,717 trees to plant in both Counties respectively. Having exhausted planting at Dongo Kundu site in Mombasa County, the State Department will continue planting in Homabay County in order to achieve the said target.

Tree growing activities in the month of November shifted from the traditional sites of Gembe Hills, Gwasi Hills and Rang’we Forest to alternative site of Lambwe Valley Forest Station within the County.

This was necessitated by the continuous dry conditions at the previous sites.