Armed with little more than a modest budgetscraped togetherfrom hisday'searnings, Maina bought 15 tree seedlings and set out to breathe life back into his surroundings.
Ibought the Bishop and Jacaranda tree seedlings as they were the most popular type in town by then. Each seedling cost me Sh130 for thebishop and Sh50 for the Jacaranda,he says.
But the trees suffered the same fate, not growing to knee-length before they were all destroyed by livestock roaming the city centre.
According to Maina, although he was discouraged from buying the seedlings because it was a dry season, he remained optimistic that with proper watering and care, the trees would grow.
Armed withnothing more thanhis rusty motorbike and a hoe, he tirelessly transported the seedlings, ensuring that each one found a home along the busy roads he traversed every day.
With his motorbike and a jembe, he transported the seedlings from the nursery andstarted plantingthem beside the road where hewas stationed.
Several factorsIhad toput into perspectiveseveral factors before settling on where to plant the seedlings. From tracking the areas that initially had trees and they had either dried out or cut down, I would replace these, to put into consideration the distance from the drainage tunnels, electricity poles and that of building roofings,he says, addingthat the treesare plantedclose to avoid them from growing too bigto an extent ofcausing any form of damages.
Although he is not a soil expert, Maina says he hasbeen able to identifywhich trees can survive in which soil types and withstand climatic changes.
Despite facing numerous challenges along the way, including financial constraints anda lack ofsupport from his peers,Maina'sdedication never wavered.
Today, his efforts have bore fruit, quite literally, as the once barren streets of Nakuru now boast over 2,000 newly planted trees from Pine, Nandi flame, Jacaranda, Avocado, and bottle brush varieties in Nakuru City, thanks to his unwavering commitment to the cause.
