Taita Taveta County has unveiled a Kes 2 million roadside tree planting campaign to cover 275 kilometers of  Voi-Taveta-Holili-Arusha Road as part of its climate action.

According to Taita Taveta County Governor Andrew Mwadime, his administration will work with Community Based Organisations (CBOs) as landscape restoration efforts.

Speaking during the launch on Wednesday in Mwatate sub-county, he urged youth to embrace the initiative to ensure its success.

“This initiative will not only beautify our highways but also position our county as a global tourist destination, and be emulated by other counties.”

“Youths ought to take with seriousness the project and take ownership… in maintaining and watering, ultimately growing, the seedlings to maturity.”

He emphasized the role of the youth in maintaining and watering the seedlings until they reach maturity is pivotal.

On his part, County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of Water, Sanitation, Environment, Climate Change, and Natural Resources Grantone Mwandawiro emphasized the benefits of nurturing trees to maturity.

He assured the County’s commitment to landscape restoration as part of the tree-growing campaign, which requires every county resident to grow 100 trees per person annually for the next decade.

“Even in the face of urban development let’s prioritise growing trees as we need a cleaner environment and green spaces which assist in purifying the air.”

The initiative funded through Financing Locally Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) domiciled in the National Treasury has identified the Kassod tree, locally known as mlezenyi, as a dominant species given its availability.