Green Blue Foundation Africa plants trees, promotes peace ahead of polls

Green Blue Foundation Africa (GBFA) yesterday launched a countrywide initiative at Corner Baridi, Ngong Hills, to plant one million trees across the 47 counties.

While commemorating International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament, the initiative also aimed at promoting peace as the country moves towards the General Election.

Prof Mbaabu Mathiu, GBFA’s Chief Executive Officer, said that the environment has been neglected for a long time and that the tree planting initiative is meant to inspire Kenyans to preserve the environment.

“This tree planting is about restoration of degraded lands, including forests. We are planting trees for peace. GBFA has teamed with Team Environment Kenya, which is actually the GBFA youth group, to grow a million trees for peace in Kenya during this period of electioneering and after,” said Prof. Mathiu.

Read: 8,000 trees planted in Ngong Forest drive

“We will be planting ten thousand seedlings in every county in the next few months,” he added.

GBFA has also partnered with Nation Media Group and other stakeholders to celebrate the World Environment Day on June 5, with this year’s focus being on the need to live sustainably.

“This is also a pre-event to the upcoming World Environment Day which is on Sunday June 5, and on that day we will be having a walk from Ngong to Corner Baridi,” Prof Mathiu stated.

According to the GBFA CEO, there is a need for sensitisation and awareness creation among citizens on how to restore ecosystems.

“The whole idea is to raise awareness for Kenyans to know about restoration and the need for each citizen to actually participate and engage in environmental restoration. The environment underpins all that we do including our livelihoods,” he remarked.

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Philip Mclaud, the Team Environment Kenya CEO, said that the initiative is meant to encourage peace and environmental conservation among the youth, adding that their brand ambassador, Ferdinand Omanyala, will inspire more young people to conserve the environment.

“We are Team Environment Kenya, we are the national environment and conservation movement, the trendsetter movement on a mission to keep Kenya breathing,” said Mr. Mclaud.

“In Nairobi and Kajiado, GBFA gave us a place where we are able to plant 1,000 trees today (yesterday). We are not only planting trees for conservation but we are preaching peace,” he added.

Team Environment Kenya director Mathew Ochanda said: “As we are nearing the electioneering period, we as the youth are engaging ourselves in a positive way to have the initiative of planting trees.”