Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Jackson ole Sapit has called for concerted efforts to protect forests.

Sapit said yesterday that the biting drought in parts of the country was as a result of dwindling forest and tree cover. He said the national and county governments should work together to boost tree cover across the country.

“The negative effects of climate change that we are witnessing now are a consequence of the mistakes of the past and which we must work hard and as a team to remedy,” he added.

The primate pointed out that there should be deliberate efforts to protect the existing forests, boost their cover through reafforestation campaigns and encourage individuals to plant trees in their homesteads and institutions.

He said it was “shameful” that people were still tormented by hunger and starvation in a country that has the capacity to produce enough food for herself and export.

Sapit was speaking at the Bishop James Hannington ACK Church in Mumias town, Kakamega County when he held a meeting with the Deputy Governor Ayub Savula and County Assembly Speaker James Namatsi.

The trio was hosted by the ACK Mumias Diocese Bishop Michael Wandera. The church leader said ACK was engaged in a wide-range of community initiatives geared towards battling the negative effects of climate change.