Residents of Homa Bay County have been urged to prepare for expected heavy rains between October and December to minimise flooding, property damage and loss of life, particularly among candidates sitting national examinations.
Principal Secretary for Interior and National Administration Dr Raymond Omollo said on Saturday that Homa Bay was among the counties expected to receive enhanced rainfall, urging residents to work with government agencies to mitigate the impact of possible flooding.
Speaking during Mazingira Day celebrations at Lambwe Forest, where he led a tree-planting exercise, Omollo said parents, teachers and examination officials should ensure candidates could reach examination centres safely.
“We need to pay attention and work with our teachers and parents so that we don’t have students losing their lives because they have to cross roads that are flooded,” he said.
He urged authorities to prioritise candidates’ safety and ensure that no student missed an examination because of transport difficulties caused by flooded roads.
Omollo also called on examination officials to consider necessary adjustments where adverse weather disrupted access to examination centres, while ensuring candidates had an opportunity to complete their papers.
The PS said the county administration had made preparations to respond to the anticipated weather conditions and urged residents to remain alert and cooperate with authorities.
Beyond the weather warning, Omollo called on residents to intensify tree planting and environmental conservation efforts to support the government’s target of growing 15 billion trees by 2032.
He said about 2.2 billion trees had been planted nationally as of October 5, as the government continued efforts to restore the country’s forest cover and degraded landscapes.
Village elders had planted 7.7 million trees across more than 77,000 villages, with the Ministry of Environment, Kenya Forest Service, national government administrators and county governments supporting the initiative, he said.
“This is a demonstration that environmental restoration is not just the work of the Ministry of Environment alone,” Omollo said.
Homa Bay County had planted 25 million seedlings since 2022, but still had considerable ground to cover, with tree cover standing at 10.4 per cent and forest cover at 3.18 per cent, he said.
The county aims to establish trees across 100,000 hectares, requiring the planting of 14.9 million seedlings annually, according to Omollo.
He urged communities living near forests to protect planted trees until they matured and prevent further forest degradation and encroachment.
“Community members through the forest associations have a big responsibility as the single most important stakeholders in ensuring that as we plant the trees, we make sure that those trees actually grow to maturity,” he said.
Omollo said the onset of the short rains provided an opportunity to accelerate tree planting, including indigenous and fruit trees in homes, schools, churches and other public facilities.
The Mazingira Day exercise at Lambwe Forest targeted 10,000 trees, with nearly 6,000 planted by the time he addressed participants, he said.
He also urged Kenyans to recognise environmental conservation efforts by individuals and communities, including those of the late Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai, village elders and community leaders.
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