President Wiliam Ruto's administration is mulling introducing the Certificate of Green Conduct to complement other requirements for a job application and accessing government services.
Speaking on Thursday, December 8, during the Kusi Festival launch, Soipan Tuya, Cabinet Secretary Environment and Forestry, indicated that the certificate would be critical in helping the government achieve its greening initiative and tackle climate change.
Defending the decision to introduce the Certificate of Green Conduct, Tuya noted that it would help the country plant over 15 million trees to address the effects of climate change.
"It would get to a point where we would ask Kenyans to plant their 300 trees within the 10 years period even have an opportunity to award Kenyans with a certificate of green conduct where we can attach it at the value of credentials that you require to access services and jobs in this country," Tuya stated.
The requirement for receiving the certificate would include planting over 300 trees which the government can account for during the ten years period.
"We are rolling out an extremely ambitious programme to green our country. It is in the spirit capitalising on nature-based solutions which is what we can do best," Tuya stated.
"15 billion trees like a mind-boggling figure, but if you break it down, it's only 300 per Kenyan for ten years," she added.
However, Tuya did not indicate when the Certificate of Green Conduct will be rolled out and the jobs and government services that will require it.
If the plans go through, it will add to a list of other certificates required in job applications and access to government services.
At the moment, some Kenyans are required to present a Certificate of Good Conduct issued by the office of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) during job applications.
Higher Educations Loans Board (HELB) also issues a clearance certificate to beneficiaries of the credit disbursed to university students.
During former President Uhuru Kenyatta's regime, the government introduced the Huduma Namba card. It was touted to help access service at ease.
Huduma Namba card was set to replace the national identification card. However, a court ruling declared the card unconstitutional.
