Thursday, May 11, 2023 – President William Ruto has attributed the unreliable results of tree-planting drives in Kenya to a lack of prayers.
Speaking in Israel after planting a tree at the Grove of Nations in Jerusalem Forest on Tuesday, Ruto said tree planting is now a spiritual exercise for him after he learned Israelites pray before setting out trees to the ground.
“That event has given me a new meaning for tree planting; that it is not only a good thing to protect our environment. I was pleased to learn that it is also biblical and spiritual. For the first time, I found that we have to pray before we plant trees,” said the Head of State.
“We’ve always tried to plant trees in Kenya, and our success has been mixed, I think because we didn’t have the element of prayer,” added Ruto.
He told Israeli delegates Kenyans will begin praying before planting trees in order to succeed in his ambitious plan of planting 15 million trees in the next 10 years.
“And now that we do, I am very confident that we will succeed in our plan of 15 billion trees in the next 10 years,” he said.
After planting a tree with First Lady Rachel Ruto at the Grove of Nations in Jerusalem Forest, Ruto sent out a tweet praising Israel for its efforts in restoring the ecosystem.
“We are glad Israel is among the world’s leading countries in the restoration of our ecosystem. Kenya will keenly follow these steady steps in building a more sustainable future for all,” he wrote.
However, Ruto’s remarks have elicited varied reactions from Kenyans some criticizing him for overdoing religion.
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