Nairobi — President William Ruto says the government has ring-fenced 5 percent of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) allocations for tree seedling development.

Speaking after leading a national fruit tree planting exercise at State House, Nairobi, President Ruto said the funds will support youth-led seedling production efforts, contributing to the national target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.

The Head of State noted that the country has fallen behind its annual tree-planting targets, largely due to a shortage of seedlings.

"The seedlings will include fruit trees to strengthen not only our food security, but also create opportunities for export, agro-processing, and generate jobs and wealth for our people. This initiative will also protect our water catchments and reduce the effects of climate change," President Ruto stated.

He revealed that since the launch of the initiative in 2023, Kenya has planted one billion tree seedlings.

President Ruto, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, directed the military, Kenya Prisons Service, and the National Youth Service to scale up seedling production to meet national demand.

"To make this vision a reality, the government will provide seedlings across the country. The Kenya Forest Service, working with the National Youth Service, will mobilise 15,000 NYS personnel to revive 300 nurseries in all our forests and establish 17 mega nurseries to produce two billion seedlings every year for Kenyans to plant," he said.