Nominated Member of Parliament (MP) David Ole Sankok has advised the government to use prisoners in correctional facilities to plant trees.
Speaking to the press in Kericho town, Sankok stated that the country could increase its dwindling forest cover by deploying prisoners.
“Instead of condemning prisoners to idle in some of the prisons where there is little to do, the government should utilize the inmates to plant trees beginning with the correctional facilities themselves some of which own huge tracts of land,” he explained.
[caption caption="Prisoners planting trees"]
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Sankok further urged the county governments to enact by-laws that would require all landowners with more than an acre of land to plant 100 indigenous tree seedlings.
“Those who fail to plant the set number of trees should be fined heavily. Such landowners should also be barred from benefiting from county's services such as clean piped water provision, health services or the bursary kitty," he conveyed.
[caption caption="David Ole Sankok"]
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The legislator advocated for bamboo trees, stating that they were fast maturing and were necessary for protecting water catchment areas.
“If the country embraces bamboo planting, it will have mature bamboos within two years.
"If the government embraces the planting of indigenous trees in its forest and controls charcoal burning, the country will also enjoy additional benefits of having trees of medicinal and nutritional value because some of them bear fruits,” Sankok stated.
Earlier on Saturday, Deputy President William Ruto issued a ban on logging and timber harvesting in public forests for three months.
“Deforestation, degradation and encroachment of water towers and other catchment areas, uncontrolled human activities including wanton logging have threatened and undermined the country’s capability to ensure food security. This situation poses a threat to the achievement of the big four agenda items of the Jubilee Government,” he stated.
Here is the video of DP Ruto issuing the ban courtesy of Citizen TV:
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