HILL TOPS TO BE GAZETTED- CS TOBIKO

CS, Mr. Tobiko with Siaya Gvnor, Cornel Rasanga, Bond MP, Hon. Gideon Ochanda, CAS, Hon. Mohammed Elmi and KEFRI Director, at one of the exhibition stand during the IDF

The Siaya County Government has been advised to initiate the gazettement of 17 hills in the County that require urgent reforestation.

Speaking at Bondo Teachers Training Institute, during the International Day of Forests celebrations, the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Forestry, Mr. Keriako Tobiko noted that, restoring the hills with trees was a step to increasing the forest cover in the County, from the current 0.45 per cent, which is the lowest in the Country. Mr. Tobiko pledged to work closely with the County alongside other conservationists. He directed the Kenya Forestry Research Institute to lead the afforestation of the hills once the gazzetment process was completed.

Mr. Tobiko called upon all public and corporate institutions to heed the Presidential directive that, ten percent of their land be put under trees in an effort to achieve the internationally recommended tree cover. He challenged the Ministry of Interior officials, led by the County Commissioners to prioritize tree planting in their development coordination roles as directed recently by the President.

CS, Mr. Keriako Tobiko addressing wananchi in Bondo, Siaya County during the World Forest Day.

Speaking in the same function, the Governor of Siaya County, H.E. Hon. Cornel Rasanga said his County had already signed the Forests Transition Implementation Plan with the Kenya Forests Service, that aims to transfer the management of the resources from the National Government to the County, saying that, the transition was one of the numerous benefits of devolution and pledged to work with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to make the inter-governmental relations a reality.

The occasion was attended by the local MP. Hon. Gideon Ochanda, Siaya County Commissioner, Michael Tialal and the Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry, Hon. Mohammed Elmi, among other National and County Government Officials.

Ministry of Environment and Forestry stand during the IDF in Bondo, Siaya.