How Rachel Ruto Will Plant 500 Million Trees By 2032
The strategy will fast-track the actualization of the vision by President William Ruto to grow 15 billion trees by the year 2032.
Marvin Chege 
First Lady, Mama Rachel Ruto, on Tuesday, February 27 officially launched the First Lady’s Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Strategy and implementation plan for growing 500 million trees.
According to a statement from the Office of The First Lady sent to newsrooms, the strategy will fast-track the actualization of the vision by President William Ruto to grow 15 billion trees by the year 2032.
The implementation plan incorporates women, youth and learners. It advocates for green financing to bridge funding gaps in restoration activities, incorporates agroforestry, promotes green jobs and nature-based enterprises, and encourages women and youth to participate in green and circular economies.
"The testing and validation process of the strategy has seen approximately 3 Million trees grown in forests and in learning institutions.
First Lady, Rachel Ruto waters a tree planted during the inauguration of the Mama Forest Park in Kitale township Forest Block 3 on June 3, 2023. /OFFICE OF THE FIRST LADY
"Additionally, The First Lady has adopted 200 hectares (500 acres) at Kakamega Forest in Shikusa Block for restoration. This adoption laid the groundwork for similar adoptions by spouses of County Governors and Members of Parliament across the country, with the technical support from the Office of The First Lady and the Kenya Forest Service," read the statement in part.
Rachel Ruto urged all like-minded stakeholders to form a united front in support of Kenya’s tree-growing efforts, adding that connecting with like-minded organisations and individuals strengthens our impact and fosters a shared vision for a sustainable future.
"By joining hands, we can amplify our impact on a national scale, maximise resources, leverage the strengths of our partners, and create a domino effect that propels us towards our ambitious goal of growing 500 million trees," added the statement.
Soipan Tuya, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry, lauded the initiative’s contribution to regulating global temperatures through the sequestration of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The Kenya Kwanza Government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) is further prioritising the growing of fruit trees and woodlots on farmlands and in institutions such as schools, colleges, and universities, with a target of having 30% of the 15 billion trees as fruit trees that can lead to improved nutritional and food security, create employment, and spur social-economic development.
The First Lady visited the Karura Forest for the launch of the strategy and while there, she was able to meet up with United Nations (UN) officials who are attending the sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) in Nairobi that began on Monday, February 26 and will continue till March 1, 2024.
She began the exercise by planting a tree during the launch in the presence of UN officials and environmental government leaders.
Other guests present included H.E. Leila Benali, President of UNEA; Inger Andersen, Executive Director, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP); Gitonga Mugambi, Principal Secretary, State Department for Forestry; and Alex Lemarkoko, Chief Conservator of Forests, Kenya Forest Service.
