NGPU October 23, 2023

County Secretary, Planet Patron Foundation leads a tree planting drive at Langalanga Primary School

By Arnold Okere and Elizabeth Wanjiku

Nakuru County Secretary Dr. Samuel Mwaura represented H E. Governor Susan in a tree planting exercise at Langalanga Primary School to symbolize the county’s commitment to address mental health awareness and sensitize the pupils on environmental protection.

The event organized by Planet Patron Foundation in collaboration with the County Government of Nakuru saw the planting of hundreds of trees, as Dr. Mwaura announced that Nakuru County plans to plant ten million trees by 2025 and contribute to the President’s goal of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.

“This will enable us to increase our forest cover by 15 percent. The exercise is in line with H.E. Governor Susan Kihika’s manifesto on climate change, which seeks to embrace the Clean Development Mechanisms for carbon credit schemes using forest cover as a Carbon Sink,” said Dr Mwaura.

Planet Patron Foundation led by Hon. Wanjiku Njoroge said they have been conducting the exercise to establish ‘birthday forests‘ among schools in the county with Langalanga being the third learning institution to host the campaign.

“This activity will also help in addressing mental health. Research has linked exposure to trees to both physical and mental restoration. For example, several studies have found that exposure to urban forests generally reduces mental and physical stress, anxiety, and depression and that they improve moods,” said Wanjiku.

Trade and Tourism County Executive Member Stephen Kuria applauded Hon Wanjiku for the noble idea of planting trees saying it was high time the community followed suit to plant trees to boost forest cover within Nakuru County.

Sub-county Environment Officer Paul Macharia observed that the tree planting exercise is more than just a symbolic gesture as it serves as a reminder that small individual actions make a significant difference in the fight against environmental degradation.

Also present were Chief Officers Samuel Ndegwa (Trade), Martin Kagai (Office of the Governor), Martin Gicinga, and Francis Njoroge from the office of the Governor, Area MCA David Muraya, and Nominated MCA Catherine Mwangi.