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The Ministry of Education has instructed all schools in Kenya—both public and private—to participate in a national tree planting exercise on Mazingira Day, set for Friday, October 10, 2025, under the theme “Citizen-Centric Tree Growing and Environmental Stewardship.”
In a circular to education officials, Principal Secretary for Basic Education Julius Bitok announced that each school will plant at least 2,000 fruit trees, positioning learning institutions as central to this year’s environmental drive.
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Bitok explained that the focus on fruit trees aims to promote environmental conservation while improving school nutrition through the creation of orchards. The exercise also seeks to strengthen school alumni networks, rallying both current and former learners to support green initiatives in their communities.
Regional and County Directors of Education have been directed to oversee the event and ensure participation by students, teachers, parents, and local residents. Schools will remain open from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., despite the public holiday, to facilitate the exercise.
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The initiative is part of the government’s broader 15 Billion Tree Growing Programme, which targets expanding Kenya’s tree cover from 12.13% to 15% by 2032, in line with President William Ruto’s climate restoration agenda.
To support the effort, the National Youth Service (NYS) will supply seedlings at Sh150 each, with an overall goal of planting 71.14 million fruit tree seedlings across 35,570 schools.
Since the programme’s launch in 2022, over 1.06 billion trees have already been planted nationwide. However, experts continue to stress the importance of shifting focus from simply planting trees to ensuring their long-term growth and survival.
