Herbalists in Ganze and Kilifi district have organized a tree planting event in Ganze to mitigate drought.

The occasion which is scheduled to kick off immediately after the international environmental day this week is expected to bring together traditional herbalists and witch doctors from the two districts. The Kilifi County traditional herbalists chairman Mangi Mitsanze said that the event targets planting over 5,000 seedlings of indigenous trees in different areas of Ganze district.

Speaking to the press in Kilifi yesterday, Mangi pointed that the forest cover in the area has been wiped out and nobody has come forward to address the problem. "The forests are gone, the rains are scarce many people will only talk of the menace but do not walk the talk that's why we have decided to take the initiative," said Mitsanze.

Mitsanze expressed concerns that the area may soon be a desert if no immediate measures are taken. The herbalists further claimed that most of the trees that are planted in the area do not perform very well that's why they decided to plant indigenous "Most of the trees we want to plant have medicinal values and were long used by our forefathers to treat various ailments but most of them have been wiped out forcing us to travel to other areas to look for the medicine plants" said Karisa Mramba