Nyandarua County Lake Ol’bolosat Restoration Tree Planting

Lake Ol’Bolosat boasts as the only lake in Central Kenya. Its water flows downwards to serve Laikipia, Samburu, Isiolo and Garissa counties.

The lake is renowned as a home for more than 300 species of birds including the grey crowned cranes and hundreds of hippos.

As climate change effects continue to manifest in the country and globally, the lake has dried up a great extent leaving only pools of muddy water as huge cracks appear on the lake surface threatening bird and other animals survival.

Drying up of the lake has not only led to reduced wildlife in the lake area but also reduced tourist service businesses around the area in addition to destroyed livelihoods of the people depending on the lake water.

To restore the lake to its former state, the Deputy President, H.E. Rigathi Gachagua, EGH, led hundreds of Nyandarua County residents in a 10,000 tree planting exercise in Lake Ol’Bolosat Secondary School.

He called upon multi stakeholder approach to ensure the lake is restored for the locals to continue benefitting from it naming it as a crucial bird watching lake whose restoration can channel tourism funds to the county and locals with businesses in the area.

Hon. Soipan Tuya, CBS, CS, Environment and Forestry Communications Channel. called upon the lake adjacent community and Lake Ol’Bolosat Community Forest Association to grow more trees as their contribution to the restoration of the lake.

Nyandarua County leaders hosting the Nyandarua Tree growing restoration campaign launch lauded the government for the ambitious 15 billion tree planting directive to enable the nation reach 30% tree cover by 2032 terming tree growing as the best approach to climate change mitigation.

Dedan Kimathi Foundation took part in this noble tree planting exercise spearheaded by Kenya Forest Service in Nyandarua County and Kaba Methu Foundation as a conservation partner to the Kenya Forest Service and Lake Ol’Bolosat Community Conservation Group (LOCCOG) that commits to continue growing trees around the lake area.

The Foundation Environment conservation team under the leadership of the C.E.O Evelyn Kimathi, participated in the tree planting exercise happening to be the 5th to attend.

” This is our Lake and we are committed to plant as many trees as required to restore it. We are very uncomfortable seeing it dry up. We shall continue to support tree growing in the area for as long as our input is required, ” said Evelyn.

The event was also attended by distinguished national and Nyandarua county government leaders including the Lands Cabinet Secretary Hon. Zachary Njeru, EAC and ASALS Cabinet Secretary Hon. Rebecca Miano, Kenya Forest Service acting Chief Conservator of Forests Mr. Alexander Lemarkoko, Nyandarua County Governor H.E. DR. Kiarie Badilisha and the Senate Lands, Environment and National Resources Chairperson Hon. Kaba Methu Senator Nyandarua, ICT and Digital Economy CAS Dennis Itumbi among others.