Kenya has declared this Friday a national holiday to commemorate those who lost their lives in the ongoing floods and to encourage tree planting.

The severe flooding has claimed over 200 lives nationwide, affecting more than 250 million people.

President William Ruto announced on Wednesday that this day will be dedicated to tree planting to counter the impacts of climate change, which has exacerbated the flooding.

Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura stated that a special notice would designate Friday as National Tree Growing Day, with further directives from the environment minister.

Last year, Kenya initiated a special holiday to plant 100 million trees, marking the beginning of an ambitious plan to plant 15 billion trees over a decade.