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On July 31, 2025, a new phase of the Trees for Food project began in Kisumu, Kenya. The launch featured the donation of 20,000 fruit tree seedlings—mango, avocado, and orange—by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The event was attended by local officials and church representatives.
Kisumu County Commissioner Benson Leparmorijo presided over the ceremony. Other attendees included Elder George Munene, Area Seventy; Peter Okeno Akal, Kisumu District President; Kennedy Okila Angalwa, First Counselor in the Nairobi West Mission Presidency; Denis Mukasa, Africa Central Area Humanitarian Manager; as well as communication leaders Tim Wanynoni and Ronald Kivi.
The Church plans to donate a total of 120,000 fruit trees across Kenya as part of its national initiative to improve food security and environmental sustainability. The donated seedlings are intended to help provide both food and income for recipients throughout various counties.
“This is a national fruit tree planting project, and we are proud to begin in Kisumu,” said Elder Munene. “Fruit trees are vital, not only for meeting nutritional needs, but also for creating income-generating opportunities and restoring our natural ecosystems.”
Commissioner Leparmorijo welcomed the effort: “One of the key hurdles in achieving our national and county tree planting targets has been access to seedlings and space for nursery development. This donation is a game-changer,” he said. He noted that the seedlings have already been allocated among several stakeholders including his office, Kenya Forest Service (KFS), National Youth Service, Kenya Prisons Service, County Government offices, Ecumenical Centre for Justice and the Interfaith Council.
Vitalis Osodo from KFS pointed out that current seedling production levels in Kisumu fall short of requirements under Kenya’s plan to plant 15 billion trees nationwide. He explained that while they are expected to raise at least 9.1 million seedlings annually in Kisumu County alone, capacity remains limited without external support such as this donation from partners like the Church.
“We are supposed to raise at least 9.1 million seedlings annually, but we don’t have the capacity,” he said. “That’s why this kind of support from partners like the Church is so critical. It boosts our production and helps us get closer to our targets.” Osodo added that KFS will coordinate with other agencies to ensure proper planting and monitoring of all donated seedlings.
Kenneth Onyango from Kisumu’s agriculture department stated that this initiative aligns with ongoing county strategies promoting fruit farming: “This synchronizes perfectly with our vision. Just two weeks ago, we received 5,000 seedlings from the national government. With this new donation, we’re more determined to promote fruit tree growing both for nutrition and income generation,” Onyango said.
He further assured church leaders that community groups would be mobilized alongside schools and agricultural extension officers so all trees would be planted appropriately and maintained properly.
