Schools, locals turn villages green, clean up River Njoro

Clean and Green Earthlings members at a tree nursery at Tumaini House Secondary School in Nakuru on December 20, 2023. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

In the heart of Barut ward in Nakuru, known for whirlwinds and dusty paths, patches of woodlots dot social places and homes.

The woodlots are part of an ambitious greening initiative that started in schools and has now spread to the villages.

Teachers, community champions, and students are leading the initiative dubbed Clean and Green Earthlings, that seeks to change the face of the once-dusty villages bordering Lake Nakuru National Park.

"Interestingly, roofs are no longer being blown by aggressive whirlwinds as it was the norm some years ago. It is all calm now and the air we breathe is fresher," Charity Mueni of Tumaini House Secondary School in Nakuru said.

In the initiative, the schools partner with the community to undertake activities that include tending tree nurseries, planting trees and regular clean-up of River Njoro, the major lifeline of Lake Nakuru.

Although schools like Tumaini House Secondary School and Barut Primary had previously adopted the initiative to green their spaces, incorporating the community and climate champions is an idea that was championed by a teacher, Geoffrey Nyariki.

Before being transferred to Tumaini House in Nakuru, Mr Nyariki was already undertaking a project at Marsabit Boys High School where he had partnered with the students to plant trees around the institution and undertake regular clean-up.

"I was transferred from a landscape that faces almost similar challenges. While in Marsabit, our goal with the students was to change the face of the neighbourhood by greening the spaces. When I arrived at Tumaini House, the same idea was being implemented by the school and we thought of bringing in the community so we could undertake joint initiatives together," Nyariki said.

Through the partnership, the teams have established tree nurseries within the schools and the community. The students are encouraged to collect wild seeds for propagation, which are planted around schools, and social places and distributed to the villages.

The partnership has also seen sustained efforts to clean up River Njoro, that has been choking with solid waste over the years.

"We regularly hold events dubbed 'Climate Literacy Festivals' where experts from climate-related fields come together and interact with the community. The community get to learn about climate resilience, adaptation and farming climate-resilient crops," Nyariki said.

On such days, the community learns about innovations in climate solutions and climate financing.

"So far, the climate literacy festivals has reached over 300 community members in Barut and learners in schools," Nyariki said.

Xavier Wanyama, a student at Tumaini House Secondary School, said sustained efforts to plant trees in Barut have addressed soil erosion in the area that borders the lake that has also experienced siltation.

"Trees act as windbreakers and help soil erosion. During holidays, we visit the school to monitor, weed and tend the seedlings and other schools have been visiting to benchmark with us," Wanyama said.

Peter Maritim, one of the lead environmental champions from the community said they plant indigenous trees and fruit trees.

"For the community to see the benefits of tree planting, we incorporate fruit trees not only in homesteads but also in public areas. As part of the project to clean River Njoro, we also plant indigenous trees along riparian zones," Maritim said.

However, the conservation champions of the project that has been running for more than two years are worried that while the drainage of the county leads to the lake, there is no technology in place to arrest dumping of plastics.

"As much as we are engaging in these cleanup activities, there should be mechanisms in place to arrest solid waste from getting into the lake. There should be proper laws on dumping of these waste too," Maritim said.

Stephen Obama, a member of Ward Climate Committee said part of the work being undertaken by ward climate change representatives is to identify the challenges within a landscape and possible solutions.

In Barut, Obama noted that land degradation remains a key challenge and restoration initiatives such as the one being undertaken by communities and schools seek to reverse the trend.