This archive report was first published on 2 July 2019.
On July 2, 2019, Mount Kenya region scouts launched a rigorous campaign to educate farmers to plant bamboo trees to curb floods and landslides in Murang'a County.
Five people died in April last year due to landslides caused by heavy rainfall in the County, leaving an estimated 1000 people homeless.
The scouts' program aims to plant as many bamboo trees as possible to reduce soil erosion during long rains and ensure the safety of residents living in areas threatened by landslides.
According to Kiambu scouts Commissioner Francis Chege Nyoike, the initiative is a way of reducing sediments flowing into rivers and protecting riparian land in the County.
Speaking at Mount Kenya University's pavilion ground, Chege emphasized the scouts' commitment to help the Government, in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, to increase forest cover to ten percent.
He also encouraged farmers to plant traditional food crops that are rarely affected by lack of rain, such as sweet potatoes, cassava, and arrowroot, to enhance food security in the region and the Country at large.
Benjamin Afumbwa, the head of environmental clubs at the university, expressed the institution's commitment to partnering with scouts and other organizations to conserve the environment.
During the camp, 500 trees were planted, coinciding with MKU's annual tree planting day.
