Kenya: Aden Duale, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, visited the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Headquarters. The trip served as a familiarization visit to the Nairobi office of the organization.
KFS Board Chair Titus Korir and Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Alex Lemarkoko welcomed CS Duale. The Cabinet Secretary was accompanied by Mugambi Gitonga, the Principal Secretary of the State Department of Forestry.
During the visit, Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale participated in a ceremonial tree planting ceremony. He also featured in a formal Quarter Guard inspection. The visit highlights the role played by the Kenya Forest Service in achieving national environmental goals.
At the same time, the visit also highlights the government’s commitment to supporting these efforts at the highest level. The officials have shared that the visit featured a number of activities, which were detailed in an agenda.
The CCF Alex Lemarkoko was tasked with the responsibility of providing CS Duale with insights into the inner workings of the Service. The overview described how the Kenya Forest Service aligns its operations with its core mandate and strategic plan.
This makes sure that they can manage the forests across the nation more affectively and efficiently. During the briefing, CCF Alex Lemarkoko talked about several key outputs of the Service. They discussed the recent recruitment of forest rangers.
Further, CCF Lemarkoko highlighted that KFS is committed to bolster its workforce for improved forest protection. He also highlighted that the forest management service has also managed to increase the forest cover in Kenya.
He said that their efforts align with the national and global environmental commitments of the nation.
Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale also delivered a brief address during his visit to the Kenya Forest Service Headquarters. He highlighted that the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has a important role in the government’s 15 billion tree planting agenda.
He also noted that KFS is the most suited to lead this initiative. It is also the law mandated responsibility of the organization to take the lead. He then called on the other institutions to support the organization in the providing support.
Later, the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry addressed the staff directly. He said that KFS is responsible for leading the production of 1 billion seedlings annually and implementing livelihood improvement schemes.