Kenya’s First Lady Margaret Kenyatta called on Kenyans to increase tree planting activities in order to restore the ecosystem which has faced destruction over the years.
Mrs. Kenyatta spoke at a Bamboo Planting Day event at Ruiru Dam in Kiambu, about 45 kilometres north of the capital Nairobi.
Earlier in 2019, a series of fires destroyed thousands of acres of vegetation in Mount Kenya, the Aberdare range, Arabuko Sokoke and Mau forests. Arson is suspected in several of those fires and the dry condition brought on by drought made the fires even more devastating.
A section of Kenya’s leaders and environmentalists have also previously claimed that the country’s largest indigenous forest, the Mau forest, is under threat from illegal logging and clearing.
It is believed that the destruction of the forest cover has contributed to the fluctuating weather patterns experienced in the country this year, including a prolonged drought period.
“The extreme weather we experienced is attributable to climate change and the consequences of our actions. The dry weather we experienced for many months affected us all, we suffered famine, we lost lives, we lost our harvest,” First Lady Margaret Kenyatta said.
Non-governmental organisations in the country, such as Nature Kenya, have recommended the involvement of local people in restoring degraded forest areas and monitoring biodiversity in their respective areas.
Mrs Kenyatta said forests support human life in several ways such as contributing to food security and energy, offering medicinal value among other uses.
Mrs. Kenyatta further urged Kenyans to continue improving the culture of continuous conservation and not to tire in correcting the environmental havoc caused.
