LAIKIPIA, Kenya, Oct 10 – The British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK) has joined the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), national and county government officials, conservationists, community members and students in planting 200,000 trees in Laikipia County as part of President William Ruto’s Green Challenge.The exercise formed part of a nationwide initiative targeting the planting of 5.1 million trees within one hour across 31 counties with favourable weather conditions, marking the climax of this year’s Mazingira Week celebrations.The tree-growing exercise was conducted simultaneously at four sites in Laikipia: the KDF Nanyuki Base, Lombere Dam, the National Youth Service (NYS) Kirimon site and South Marmanet.Each site was allocated a target of 50,000 trees, bringing the total target for the county to 200,000 seedlings.Laikipia Deputy Governor Reuben Kamuri and County Commissioner Duncan Muyesu led local leaders in urging participants to prioritise the survival of the newly planted trees.They warned that planting seedlings without ensuring their growth to maturity would undermine the objectives of the environmental conservation campaign.The leaders called on individuals, community organisations and institutions to take responsibility for nurturing the trees and protecting them against destruction.They also encouraged residents to plant fruit trees, saying the initiative could improve household nutrition while creating opportunities for income generation.Chief guest Omar Hassan from the State Department for Tourism described Laikipia as a region of significant environmental importance and a key destination for conservation and tourism.He underscored the importance of protecting the county’s natural resources, noting their contribution to environmental sustainability and tourism development.President Ruto’s one-hour tree-growing challenge was also highlighted as a national call to action, emphasising the role of environmental protection in Kenya’s development agenda.The initiative seeks to mobilise citizens, government agencies, conservation groups and other stakeholders to contribute to the country’s tree-growing and environmental restoration efforts.Participants were urged to sustain the momentum beyond the Mazingira Week celebrations by ensuring the seedlings planted during the exercise survive to maturity.