Youth in slum residential areas have been urged to shun the misuse of drugs and venture into more economically viable enterprises as tree planting.
Making the concerted plea to the jobless youth in Kenya, the Kenya Forest Service acting director, Emilio Mugo wants tree planting to be made a commercial activity where people raise seedlings in nursery beds to later resell at a profit.
Mugo raised concern that many of the economically productive youth were diverting their energies to indecent acts of violence and criminal activities, a situation he said spells doom for the country's economy. The director, in addition, explained that tree planting would to a greater extent help in conserving the environment as well as making the soils intact. He said wetland areas that can never be inhabited by humans can be reclaimed by planting trees that will in turn, provide fuel as well as beautifying the environment.
Speaking on the School's Greening Movement, Mugo said that schools across the country would soon engage in massive tree planting and urged community stakeholders to join hands to make the exercise successful.