Government to introduce Certificate of Green Conduct in bid to plant 15 billion trees
From left: Environment and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya, Council of Governors chairperson Anne Waiguru and NMG chairman Dr Wilfred Kiboro at Karura Forest where they planted trees before the start of Kusi Ideas Festival 2022.
The Government of Kenya is set to introduce a Certificate of GreenCconduct that will be a requisite for one to receive government services, Environment and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya has announced.
Speaking during the Kusi ideas festival at Karura Forest in Nairobi, Ms Tuya said the document will be issued to citizens who participate in tree planting initiatives across the country.
" We will award Kenyans who are participating in the effort to green our country with a certificate of green conduct. The government will attach high value to the document and it will be a requisite document for one to access government services and even jobs in this country," she said.
President William Ruto has announced plans to plant a total of 15 billion trees in the next 10 years. According to CS Tuya this will involve each Kenyans planting a total of 300 trees in the next 10 years.
In a speech by President William Ruto read on his behalf by Ms Tuya, the government is also embarking on a scheme known as "Trees for Birthday". Under this scheme, Kenyans will be required to plant trees that are equivalent to their age on their birthdays.
"If the program to plant trees on your birthday is adopted worldwide, we would be far much ahead in terms of making the world green and tackling climate change," Dr Ruto said in a speech read by CS Tuya.
Makoloo Maurice area Vice President Africa Habitat for Humanity International in a pannel during the Kusi Ideas Fest going on at Karura Forest on December 8,2022.
Nation Media Group (NMG) Chairman Wilfred Kiboro hailed the role of the company in the campaign to revive Karura Forest, one of Africa's biggest forest located within the capital city of Nairobi.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Dr Kiboro asked development partners to join the company in it's efforts to empower society by pushing for reforms such as climate change.
"With a different set of circumstances, we would not be here. Karura might not have survived. We owe it's survival to brave Kenyans some of whom paid the price for their actions with prison and death...I am proud that Nation Media Group answered the call of duty and offered it's muscle to bolster the campaign to save Karura," Dr Kiboro said.
He also hailed the role of the Kusi ideas festival in driving the conversation on many issues affecting Africans including climate change.
"We created this festival to prepare Africa to overcome it's challenges and exploit it's opportunities…I'm glad that some of the ideas that have been discussed in the previous Kusi ideas festivals featured prominently during the COP27 event held in Egypt. It is through this event that we hope to explore our response to climate change," he added.
During the event, Prince Rahim Aga Khan of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) announced that it's network of companies including Nation Media Group is committed to net-zero emissions by 2030.
"We will demonstrate proactive, socially responsible and a value oriented leadership. All AKDN network operations across agencies and institutions will have net-zero emissions before 2030," Mr Rahim said in his opening remarks of the event.
Kusi ideas is an event organised by NMG that seems to explore challenges facing the African continent and how they can be solved. This year's event focuses on how Africa can tackle the effects of climate change.
