The Kenyan government has been asked to redirect resources towards supporting community tree nurseries and agribusiness projects, as part of efforts to achieve the country’s ambitious target of 10 billion trees under Vision 2030.

Speaking during a commemorative event at the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s gravesite, Kang’o Ka Jaramogi, the General Secretary of an environmental conservation organization known as the Green World, Mr. Isaac Otieno said that Kenya needs structural support to expand tree cover.

He observed that the government has been spending a lot of money on ceremonial activities and urged them to channel more of it into small nurseries and distribute seedlings to schools, churches, and community groups to help in achieving the 10 billion tree target.

Otieno highlighted the organization’s flagship programme, called Inter-Schools Environmental Challenge, which he says will supply seedlings to schools across different regions. 

He said that they will also expand into community nurseries, providing seedlings free of charge to encourage participation in conservation.

Beyond tree planting, Otieno stressed the importance of agribusiness in tackling food insecurity. 

He noted that the late Raila Odinga had championed the idea of Kenya becoming a “food basket” through community empowerment, noting that they are determined to keep that vision alive.

Assistant Archbishop Joshua Owalo Okech of the Nomiya Church of Gospellers, who works with the Green World, echoed the call for government intervention and urged authorities to invest in community tree nurseries and provide seedlings freely to citizens, arguing that grassroots access to trees is critical for environmental restoration.