ENDEBESS, Kenya, Oct11 – President William Ruto has led the country in marking Mazingira Day with the planting of 5.3 million trees nationwide, as the government intensifies efforts to achieve its target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.
Speaking at Elgon Downs in Endebess, Trans Nzoia County, Ruto said Kenya had planted two billion trees so far, noting that the initiative was central to restoring degraded landscapes, combating climate change and securing the country’s food production.
“Our goal is to ensure that our nation does not suffer the effects of climate change, ensure we continue getting adequate rain so that we can farm, grow food and grow the economy of our country,” he said.
The President was accompanied by Cabinet Secretaries Kipchumba Murkomen (Interior) and Deborah Barasa (Environment), alongside Members of Parliament.
During the celebrations, Ruto also launched a cocoa farming initiative by distributing seedlings to farmers, urging those in areas identified as suitable for the crop to embrace cultivation as an additional source of income.
He said the government had mapped five million hectares as potentially suitable for cocoa farming and was seeking to encourage farmers to take advantage of the opportunity.
“Embrace cocoa tree planting because, as we increase our forest cover, we can also enhance incomes,” he said.
Ruto announced that the government would consider lowering the cost of cocoa seedlings, which currently retail at KSh200, to make them more affordable to farmers.
“We will even consider subsidizing the cocoa so that more Kenyans can afford it,” he said.
The President also unveiled aerial seeding technology intended to complement conventional tree-planting methods and accelerate forest restoration.
The technology is expected to facilitate planting in remote and difficult-to-access areas, helping expand the country’s afforestation efforts.
Ruto further launched the Mt Elgon Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme Strategic Plan 2026–2036, which seeks to restore degraded forests, protect water resources and improve the livelihoods of communities living around Mt Elgon.
The programme forms part of broader efforts to strengthen environmental conservation while supporting communities that depend on the area’s natural resources.
Separately, the President inspected construction of the Endebess Sub-County Hospital Mother and Child Complex, which is 88 per cent complete and expected to be finished by the end of the year.
The facility will include a radiology unit to be equipped under the National Equipment Service Programme, an accident and emergency unit, a maternal and child health wing and an outpatient department.
It will also feature a 26-bed maternity unit and 54 newborn cots, among other facilities.
The project is expected to expand access to maternal and child healthcare services in Trans Nzoia County, reducing the need for residents to travel long distances to access specialised medical care.
Ruto also inspected construction of the 20-kilometre Endebess-Kolongei-Matumbei-Salama Road, being built at a cost of KSh1.1 billion.
He said the government was implementing eight road projects covering 292 kilometres across Trans Nzoia County at a combined cost of KSh18 billion.
The President pledged that the county would not be left behind in the government’s development agenda, saying the administration was committed to expanding infrastructure and improving public services.
He also criticised the opposition, accusing its leaders of promoting tribalism, division and hatred instead of presenting development alternatives to Kenyans.
Ruto maintained that political differences should not derail development projects intended to improve the lives of residents.
