Environment CS Aden Duale has revealed that Kenyans have planted 481 million trees from January 2024, underscoring the concerted efforts in mitigating the effects of climate change. 

Speaking in Arboretum, CS Duale lauded the public for taking part in the government's initiative of planting 15 billion trees by 2032. 

The strategy aims at reducing greenhouse emissions that remain in the atmosphere for hundreds of years and thus affecting present and future generations.

Duale also delved into the Nairobi river menace, reiterating the government's promise to clean up the river within 18 months.

To effect this, the CS said that he would gazette a colour-coding mechanism for waste found in one's homes to separate recyclable and non-recyclable waste. 

"What you see behind me is not a river, in 18 months we want to see a clean Nairobi. We have put on notice companies, slaughter houses, Nairobi sewerage companies.

"(To) Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja in Nairobi, we want to know where garbage collectors are taking the garbage," Duale said. 

The government renamed Utamaduni Day to Mazingira Day in April 2024, after President William Ruto signed the Statute Law (Miscalleneous Amendment Bill, 2024.

The changes aimed at encouraging Kenyans to participate in conserving the environment by planting trees. 

Shortly after assuming office, President Ruto called on Kenyans to plant at least a hundred trees each to deal with the adverse effects of climate change. 

“As a country, we must realise that as a member of the global community we have a challenge of climate right here with us. We have farming, we have the most severe drought in 40 years confirming that we are already suffering the effects of climate change,” Ruto said in Kirinyaga County on October 15, 2022.

"Every Kenyan, 50 million of us, must plant at least 100 trees, either in your compound, in your farm or in any other place you find...that is the surest way for us to turn around the climate so that we can have water, grow crops, do dams, agro-processing and make sure we have prosperity," he added.