Counties to plant a million trees in forest

Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo-Marakwet counties have come together to plant a million trees in Kaptagat forest to restore its lost stature.

Speaking during this year’s World Environment Day celebrations at RCEA Ng’elel Tarit Secondary school, Uasin Gishu County Deputy Governor Daniel Chemno, said the rehabilitation will increase the forest cover.

The forest has stirred a row between county government officials and saw millers.

Mr Chemno took issue with saw millers who cut down trees without permission from the Kenya Forest Service and the county government, saying “the saw millers have significantly reduced the forest cover with little effort in replacing the trees”.

County Executive in-charge of Environment, Ann Njogu, said both counties and Nema have endorsed the initiative.

Ms Njogu said the forest has been divided into ten blocks with 100,000 trees planted in each block.

“We want to make the forest a water tower and this will involve schools and traders in support of the idea,” she said Njogu.

Sosiani River that runs in Eldoret town and which had been turned to a dumping site is set to be converted into a tourist attraction site.