LBDA embarks on mission to plant fruit trees as Kenya hosts Africa Climate Summit

Tree seedlings. [Mandela Okoth, Standard]

The Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA) has embarked on an exercise to plant fruit trees in Western Kenya ahead of the much-anticipated Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi next week.

The move is part of an effort to augment the efforts of various stakeholders working around the clock to respond to the escalating global climate crisis.

Western Kenya where LBDA operates is among the regions that are grappling with the realities of climate change, prompting interventions by various stakeholders.

On Friday, LBDA Managing Director Wycliffe Wachiaga unveiled a series of side events that the authority intends to undertake alongside the Climate Summit.

In the strategy, the authority has mapped out local communities to aid with spreading information and ideas on how to protect the environment and plant trees.

This will be aided by a circling event to promote the use of green energy.

"We intend to complement the Summit that will be taking place at KICC in Nairobi and our goal is to plant fruit trees in the region," said Wachiaga.

He noted that they are keen to tap into indigenous knowledge from people who may not make it to boardrooms to share their views on environmental protection.

According to Wachiaga, the planting of fruit trees is part of a goal of planting 5 billion fruit trees in the next 10 years in the region.

"We are engaging local communities to help us achieve this goal. It is important that we enhance tree planting, distilling of rivers and waste management," he said.

The authority is optimistic that the planting of more trees will help curb soil erosion and also control flooding that always affect parts of the region.

The MD also said that they are working to protect three water towers that serve the region.

On Friday, the efforts were boosted by a group of cyclists from Uganda who are circling to Nairobi to attend the summit. They joined the authority in its mission to plant trees ahead of the event.