Fred Ogola: 'There's no proper plan for tree planting drive'

Linda Ugatuzi Chair Fred Ogola.[Screen Grab]

The government lacks a proper framework for the national tree planting program, Linda Ugatuzi Chairman Fred Ogola now claims. 

Speaking on Spice FM on Tuesday, November 14, Ogola said Monday’s event was more of State officials planting trees and not a national exercise as thought. 

“When it came to planting trees, it was more of the President and his ministers planting the trees and not the nation. The president has goodwill but we are doing things in the wrong way,” said Ogola.

The governance analyst argues that the exercise should have been delegated to every county head as opposed to flying Cabinet Secretaries across the country to do so.

He added that by airlifting the CSs from one county to another, the State spent millions. Money which if the exercise was left under county bosses would have been used to create opportunities for young people and unemployed Kenyans through local initiatives.

“The tree planting initiative is under the devolved government. If they had embedded the exercise in the county government, then it would have become easier to give governors a target. In that case, we could have used the money used to fly the CSs around to offer Kazi Mtaani to our young people and unemployed mothers for example,” he said.

“The President has good plans but lacks a proper framework to execute them,” he added.

Ogola also lamented that the government is more focused on achieving the 15 billion trees target instead of growing just enough trees that will bear a positive impact on the country.

On Monday, November 13, President William Ruto spearheaded the national tree-planting exercise in Makindu, Makueni County, where he planted a tree and urged Kenyans to embrace the culture of tree planting.

Ruto was joined by leaders across the country in the exercise taking advantage of the short rains experienced in different parts of the country.

Kenya began the journey to plant 15 billion trees by 2032.