STATE DEPARTMENT FOR CORRECTIONAL SERVICES PLANTS 300,000 TREES AS MAZINGIRA DAY IS MARKED

STATE DEPARTMENT FOR CORRECTIONAL SERVICES PLANTS 300,000 TREES AS MAZINGIRA DAY IS MARKED

By Pili Chimerah 

The State Department for Correctional Services is targeting to plant 300,000 - 500,000 trees across all its facilities in the country as part of Mazingira Day Celebrations. 

While leading the exercise at Ruiru GK Prison, Principal Secretary Dr. Salome M Beacco said the State Department said the initiative that kicked off at the start of the month is part of the national agenda to restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded land by planting 15 billion trees by the year 2032 as championed by President William Ruto. 

She said the department produced 4,716,700 seedlings in the 107 tree nurseries during the 2023-2024 Financial Year out of which 2,771,150 were ready for planting with an annual target of 100 million tree seedlings. 
The PS said tree planting is part of rehabilitation programs for inmates where they receive training on grafting, planting and growing tree seedlings. 

The raising of trees in the State Department she emphasised was a way of generating revenue while plugging into food security and also creating landscapes which helps to maintain mental stability. 

She further called on staff at the department to ensure they not only plant trees but ensure they grow them. 

"I would like to remind us all that the trees we continue to plant will be the shade and shelter for future generations. Let us nurture them with care and dedication. By participating in this initiative, we are making a powerful statement: that we are committed to a greener, healthier, and more prosperous Kenya, " she said. 

She also called on members of the public to buy tree seedlings from the State Department. 

The more than 400 staff from the department who accompanied the PS managed to plant 3,000 trees at the facility while a similar exercise running concurrently across other Correctional institutions.