President William Ruto of Kenya has attributed the inconsistent outcomes of tree-planting drives in his Kenya to a lack of prayer.

He made this known while speaking in Israel at the Grove of Nations in Jerusalem Forest where he planted a tree.

According to Ruto, he had learned that the people of Israel pray before planting trees, and this spiritual approach had given him a new perspective on tree planting.

Ruto noted that while tree planting is often seen as a good way to protect the environment, it is also a biblical and spiritual exercise.

He stated that Kenyans had not been praying before planting trees, which might be why their results had been mixed.

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"That event has given me a new meaning for tree planting; that it is not only a good thing to protect our environment. I was pleased to learn that it is also biblical and spiritual. For the first time, I found that we have to pray before we plant trees," Ruto said.

“We’ve always tried to plant trees in Kenya, and our success has been mixed, I think because we didn’t have the element of prayer,”

The president told the Israeli delegates that Kenyans would begin to pray before planting trees to achieve his ambitious plan of planting 15 million trees over the next ten years.

After Ruto and the First Lady Rachel Ruto planted the tree, he commended Israel's efforts to restore the ecosystem. 

"We are glad Israel is among the world’s leading countries in the restoration of our ecosystem. Kenya will keenly follow these steady steps in building a more sustainable future for all," he said.

Ruto's remarks disclose he believes that prayer is an essential element for successful tree planting in Kenya.