STATE DEPARTMENT FOR CORRECTIONAL SERVICES MARK WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY WITH TREE PLANTING DRIVE
By Martha Munyambu
The State Department for Correctional Services joined the rest of the world in marking this year's World Environment Day by planting over 1,500 trees at the Nanyuki GK Prison farm.
Presiding over the exercise, Principal Secretary Dr. Salome Beacco said the initiative is part of the President's agenda of planting 15 billion trees by 2032 with the department having dedicated every first Thursday of the month to tree planting and growing.
“We affirm that through the Greening Kenya Initiative and our monthly tree planting efforts, we are engaging in meaningful environmental action and shaping a new narrative one that declares every person, regardless of their circumstances, can be part of the solution,” she added.
Dr Beacco, who was accompanied by senior staff from the State Department including Commissioner General of Prisons Patrick Aranduh and Probation and Aftercare Services Secretary Dr. Christine Obondi, noted that the Correctional Services Department has so far planted over six million trees.
“By planting trees, we are sowing hope, resilience, and discipline. For every tree we nurture, we send a message that restoration is possible for the land and the people. We must remember that the environment is not an external issue; it’s our issue. It’s the air we breathe, the water we drink, the peace we seek, and the future we envision,” she said.
The PS encouraged Kenyans to grow fruit and medicinal trees to reap both nutritional and health benefits.
She emphasized that the day’s activities were planned through multi-sectoral collaboration with both state and non-state actors. So far, the department has issued over 30 million tree seedlings to other government institutions to support the national greening efforts.
In addition to the environmental activities, Dr. Beacco also launched the newly rehabilitated Nanyuki GK Women’s Prison, marking a significant step in ongoing efforts to improve prison infrastructure.
As part of efforts to strengthen the Department's technical units, the PS had earlier held a stakeholders' engagement meeting with the Probation and Aftercare Services team at a Nanyuki Hotel. The forum, themed “Strengthening Community-Based Rehabilitation of Offenders through stakeholders' engagement,” where she emphasized the critical role partnerships play in rehabilitating and reintegrating offenders back to the society.