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In a special Gazette Notice dated November 6, CS Kithure Kindiki said that the holiday was a result of a Cabinet resolution on Friday November 3, to mark the National Tree Planting Day.
National Examinations scheduled for that day shall proceed normally.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 3 of the Public Holidays Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration declares Monday, 13th November, 2023, a public holiday in which the public shall be engaged in tree growing countrywide,” the notice read in part.
The Cabinet Secretary added that the exercise is part of Kenya's “Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Programme-Towards the Growing of Fifteen (15) billion trees.”
There will be a designated National venue for the tree planting presided over by President William Ruto, and 47 county venues, presided over by Cabinet Secretaries and Governors, where all Kenyan citizens and the general public shall be expected to participate.
“The public across the country shall be expected to plant trees as a patriotic contribution to the national efforts to save our Country from the devastating effects of Climate Change,” CS Kindiki said.
President William Ruto launched a program to plant 15 billion trees in Kenya by 2032 as part of a plan to stop the cycle of recurring droughts and combat the effects of climate change.
The initiative aims to reduce greenhouse emissions, stop and reverse deforestation, and rehabilitate and restore 10.6 million hectares of land.
The plan involves growing five billion trees in five years and an additional 10 billion by 2032.
President Ruto has called on counties and regions to distribute tree seedlings for planting along escarpment areas to curb mudslides and has reaffirmed the government's commitment to plant 15 billion tree seedlings by 2032.
The program will involve recruiting 2,700 rangers and involving all departments, including the Kenya Defence Forces, Prisons, police, National Youth Service, Kenya Forest Service, and Kenya Wildlife Service.
For the country to achieve President William Ruto’s commitment to grow 15 billion trees by the next decade, at least four million trees must be planted daily.