Students from The Great Lakes University participated in a tree planting campaign in Riat area of Kisumu County as a way of curbing soil erosion in the area.
Speaking on Sunday,the school patron, Catherine Ochieng, said their aim is to ensure the area has enough tree cover to prevent erosion and also control water during the rainy season.
“Residents of this area complain of not having fertile soils for conducting agriculture because of erosion. This is due to lack of forest cover that can hold the soil together,” said Ochieng.
Ochieng said that as a way of giving back to the community, they decided to maximise on the current rains in order to ensure the future of the locals was safe.
“Our exercise today is not only targeting soil erosion but also ensuring this area receives adequate rains in the future, because as you know, trees attract rainfall,” added Ochieng.
The trees were planted in coordination with the local administration where strategic places were identified.
The trees were also planted along routes where groups of local people were put in charge to ensure that they mature.
Ochieng called on the county government to allocate money to curbing soil erosion stating it is a disaster in the long run.
The students who are members of the Welfare club usually engage in annual activities which are meant to assist the local communities.