Kenyans Urged to Embrace Environmental Stewardship as Mazingira Day Nears
Cabinet secretary for environment, climate change and Forestry, Dr. Deborah Barasa addressing during a media breakfast in Nairobi on October 8, 2025
Nairobi, October 8, 2025 -The government has announced comprehensive plans for this year’s Mazingira Day celebrations, set to take place on October 10, with a nationwide tree-growing and environmental clean-up exercise targeting primary schools across the country.
Speaking during a media briefing in Nairobi on Wednesday, Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Dr. Deborah Barasa said that this year’s event will be marked under the theme Citizen-centric tree growing and environmental stewardship.
“This year, our celebrations will be held under the theme ‘Citizen-centric tree growing and environmental stewardship.’ It is a call to action for every Kenyan to take personal responsibility for restoring our environment. It is about more than planting trees; it is about growing a culture and giving back to our communities and reconnecting with our roots,” said Dr. Barasa.
She noted that the 2025 celebrations will focus on fruit tree planting as part of the government’s wider plan to achieve 15 billion trees by 2032, translating to 30 percent national tree cover.
“This year, we are inviting every Kenyan to go back to their former primary school to donate and plant a fruit tree and to clean and green the school environment,” the CS added. “By returning there, we are not only planting trees, but also nurturing environmental responsibility among future generations.”
Also speaking, Principal Secretary for Forestry, Mr. Gitonga Mugambi, emphasized that the fruit tree planting campaign is both an environmental and socio-economic initiative that will benefit communities across the country.
“Come 10th of October, we all go to our primary schools and plant fruit trees and we do it in a big way,” he said. “The target is to do a minimum of 2,000 trees per school. Where that may not be possible, we encourage students to take seedlings home and plant them there.”
He underscored that the exercise will help improve nutrition, create jobs, and generate wealth across communities while advancing Kenya’s climate resilience agenda.
“This is not just about planting trees , it’s about creating jobs, improving nutrition, and building wealth,” said Mugambi. “We have already done over one billion trees in just two years, and now we are accelerating toward our 15 billion tree target.”
According to the ministry, the event will be led by President William Ruto, who will spearhead the national exercise alongside cabinet secretaries, principal secretaries, state corporation CEOs, and county leaders, each returning to their former schools to plant fruit trees and lead community clean-up drives.
Basic Education Director, Dr. Stephen Sugut, confirmed that the Ministry of Education was fully prepared for the exercise, saying county and sub-county officers had already mobilized schools.
“Some institutions have already surpassed the 2,000-school target. Our teachers and learners are ready, and alumni have also joined the effort by returning to their schools to plant trees and clean the environment,” Dr. Sugut said.
Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) CEO, Dr. Jane Njuguna, assured that the agency had prepared adequate seedlings suited for various ecological zones.
“We have been propagating fruit trees matched to different sites, and we are ready to distribute them through our 22 nurseries nationwide. We encourage participants to record the trees planted so that we can track progress,” she said.
Kenya Forest Service (KFS) representatives, led by Mr. Alexander, affirmed that seedlings were available in nurseries across all sub-counties.
“Tree growing is much more than planting — it is the foundation of national growth. We have made seedlings accessible countrywide and encourage Kenyans to purchase or collect them for free where possible,” Mr. Alex said.
Dr. Barasa commended the growing collaboration between national and county governments, development partners, and communities, saying such partnerships were vital in realizing the country’s reforestation and climate goals.
