Gatundu North sub-county environment and health officer Beatrice Mueni has called on residents to plant trees to mitigate effects of climate change.
Mueni noted that people had cut down trees in the area which should now be replaced to ensure adequate rainfall in the region.
‘The only way we can defeat this is by refraining from cutting down trees for other uses. Trees give life, they attract rainfall that plays a role in food security thus helping in poverty reduction," she noted.
Speaking at Kamwangi forest farm on Saturday, Mueni called on residents to stop cutting down trees for timber and instead engage in other productive activities.
‘I am here not because I have nothing to do in the office but because I want to send a message to all that we must join hands and conserve our environment through tree planting," she observed.
The officer urged residents to plant at least two trees each in January, saying they would benefit the community for many years.
The environment officer planted trees at the forest farm as a way of showing a good example to others and urged them to follow suit.
The officer who lead a section of volunteering youths at the farm planted 256 trees and pledged to engage more tree seedlings growers to help in their supply.