KENYA Forest Service has partnered with schools in Nakuru county to plant one million trees to rehabilitate forest cover.

KFS officer James Mudiati said the campaign of planting 1 million tree seedlings is aimed at reclaiming and restoring the required 10 percent forest cover. "Currently, the country's forest cover stands below 2 per cent. We have already planted 0.5 million trees using primary and secondary schools in the bid to deter further environmental degradation," said the officer.

The officer was speaking during the tree planting exercise at Aberdare Ranges Primary School which host majority Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) pupils from Canaan Camp in Nakuru at Pipeline He said that the degradation has been characterized by frequent tree felling and encroachment of water towers especially in Rift Valley in the Mau Forest.

"The motive of engaging students in the drive to plant trees is to sensitize them the importance of clean environment and also the critical role the trees plays in the ecosystem and will be able to disburse the same message at their homes," he said.

The exercise facilitated the plantation of over 2,000 trees which was donated courtesy of KFS and its aim is to change the climatic condition of the area which is perceived to be partially dry.

The reclaiming of Mau forest has been the order of the as the forest cover plays a great role in the area ecosystem. This has led the government to evict families who were staying in the forest.

The exercise was organized by Kenya Institute of Management Nakuru Campus led by its Chairman Bernard Momanyi commended the school management for its assistant to the needy pupils from the IDPs families and said it's everyone duty to preserve the environment.

Leonard Musomba the institute vice chair urged corporate institution in Nakuru to venture into community services and not only concentrating on money making project to help the residents.