Chiefs to lead Kenya’s climate initiative with monthly tree planting

DIANA NGUNJIRI -MYGOV

In a bid to achieve the 15-billion tree goal by 2032, the country’s 3,950 chiefs will lead and rally local communities across all the 47 counties to plant trees in a unified effort against environmental degradation. 

This is as Kenya aims to boost its national tree cover from 12 percent to an ambitious 30 percent. Recently, the Ministry of Interior officially launched “Chiefs Climate Action Day” at Ondiri Swamp in Kiambu County, with Interior Principal Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo leading the event. 

The initiative kicked off a consistent national commitment that every first Friday of each month communities will come together to plant trees, raise environmental awareness, and discuss actionable ways to combat climate change at the grassroots level. 

Each of Kenya’s chiefs has been tasked with mobilizing their communities and climate actors within their locations to plant at least 250 trees every month, a goal that trans lates to nearly one million new trees nationwide each month. 

“Chiefs in Kenya have long been the backbone of local governance, acting as trusted community leaders and figures of stability. Now, they are taking on the role of climate champions,” Dr. Omollo noted. 

“Their unique position enables them to reach communities directly, fostering awareness about environmental conservation and the pressing need to address climate change.

Chiefs are the government’s direct link to communities, and this initiative will allow them to engage their regions in critical environmental action.” Amid worsening droughts, erratic rainfall, and alarming rates of de forestation, Kenya’s drive to combat climate change has become more urgent than ever. 

President William Ruto, who initiated this ambitious 15-billion-tree project, emphasized that chiefs are instrumental in bridging the gap between high-level government goals and on-the-ground action. “Every community’s ef fort is Kenya’s effort,” the President previously said. 

“Chiefs are our climate ambassadors, rallying their communities toward a healthier, more resilient Kenya,” he added. The initiative, dubbed “One Nation, One Canopy, One Future,” envisions a Kenya united under a shared environmental mission. 

The monthly Chiefs Climate Action Day aims to instill a sense of pride and responsibility within com munities, reinforcing the idea that every tree planted brings the nation closer to a greener future. Our nation’s resilience rests on the actions of every community. Every tree planted, no matter where, is a contribution to Kenya’s shared canopy,” Dr Omollo said. 

Beyond tree planting, Chiefs Climate Action Day will be a day of environmental education and community engagement. Chiefs will guide their communities through discussions on climate change, underscoring how issues like deforestation, water scar city, and poor soil health directly affect their livelihoods and well-being.