Mentoring the next Wangari Maathais

Mutatu Mutunga, a pupil at Muthwani primary school, is involved in a tree-planting project for schools in Embu, Kitui and Machakos counties. (PHOTO: COURTESY)

If Wangari Maathai was to rise from her ashes today, to find large swathes of land being cleared for ‘development’, and booming real estate, she would not be happy with today’s generation.

But there are children she would smile at, probably hug and make lifelong friends. These would be the pupils of 120 schools in three countries: Kitui, Embu and Machakos.

These school children are involved in an afforestation project dubbed Green Initiative Challenge (GIC) funded by Kengen Foundation, Better Globe Forestry and Bamburi Cement.

“I believe these trees will give us timber in future. They will be a source of livelihood,” says Mutatu Mutunga, a class seven pupil at Muthwani Primary School in Mwingi, Kitui County.

Mutunga, one of the participants in this project, admits that the curriculum in school is not particular about afforestation and that previously, people showed little interest in planting and caring for trees.

His sentiments are confirmed by Julius Mwanyai, a tree specialist working in the project, who says the current curriculum for primary schools has no apparent commitment to tree-planting.

“Pupils come to school in the morning and leave for home in the evening. Within that time they sit through largely theoretical classes. I am yet to come across a school whose pupils plant trees as a practical application of the curriculum,” says Julius.

In a way, he says, this has contributed to dwindling tree cover in many parts of Kenya. Imparting children with tree-planting knowledge is therefore a virtue, says Hellen Mwaniki, the head teacher at Mashamba primary school in Embu.

Hellen imagines a future where her pupils will have grown into adulthood, running their own lives and making decisions that will have an impact on the environment.

“Unfortunate as it may be, there are parents from around involved with charcoal. Charcoal business is how they make money. The money they use to buy their children school uniform, books and pens to attend school. It is important that we change how these children think about trees and the environment,” she says. On the roadside of the tarmac that connects Machakos and Embu counties there are countless charcoal-selling points.

Travelling deep into the countryside, we come across a mound of burning charcoal. We also see brick-kilns which, we are told, burn on trees.

Caring for trees to ensure survival in Eastern Kenya is a commendable undertaking. Already residents are grappling with shortage of water for domestic use. That notwithstanding pupils in the GIC project carry water to school to water their trees.

“The general belief among residents in these areas is that trees grow naturally and are to be utilised. We show them that one can take the initiative to plant. That if one can exercise responsible cutting of trees as they care for the environment and derive benefits as well,” explains Julius Mwanyai.

It is a noble project, says William Muisya. William is a student at Katuni Mixed Day Secondary School in Mwingi. He will be sitting for his KCSE exams later in the year.

“I love the environment. I want a career in farming and agriculture. I don’t dream of law, medicine and nursing like other students. Back at home I have fruit trees – mangoes, oranges, pawpaws, and avocados. It is a skill I learnt from my father and wouldn’t want to stop. When the environment is adversely affected those who depend on agriculture suffer the most. For that reason I will plant as many trees as I possibly can.”

William is the darling of teachers at his school for his dedication to environment conservation and farming initiatives. Amidst the GIC trees in Katuni he has created a vegetable garden, with kales, cassava and bananas.

‘Cut one, plant two’. It was a famous reforestation slogan in the 90s. It was told, reiterated, and burnt into the psyche of pupils. Sadly, that quest, to bring up children who understand and value trees in our environment, may have died down.

According to Hellen Mwaniki, it is part of every head teacher’s job description, to plant trees within the school compound.

“I believe that majority of us are not committed to this part of our job because of complacency. If we all did, the tree cover in Kenya would be fairly high,” she says.

When she was a young school going girl, Hellen recalls, tree cover in Embu was impressive. But that was probably because forest areas were used as sacred shrines, she points out.

“Today people want to satisfy financial demands. People want to sell charcoal and timber. Or do something else with trees to make money,” she says.

The result is evidenced in many parts of Kenya: bare land with nothing much than struggling shrubs.

Hellen looks at the pupils involved in GIC as change makers; the ones applying the first ink in changing the narrative of deforestation.

“Attitudes have to change regarding how trees are used. As the population grows so does the impact humans have on trees. If we don’t plant more trees than we are cutting then it becomes difficult to maintain economic activities directly linked to trees,” offers James Mwaniki, of Better Globe Forestry.

For Patrick Kyeli, the teacher running the project at Masukanoni Primary school in Kitui, the trees currently being nurtured will impact the lives of coming generations.

“If I won’t be here when the trees have grown to maturity, those who benefit will be our children and their children. What I hope that this project achieves is to change how the whole community looks at trees,” he says.

GIC aims at improving forest cover in the three counties with five tree species: three wood varieties and two fruit species. One hundred and twenty schools are involved with each receiving at least 300 seedlings.

Largely arid or semi-arid, Eastern Kenya suffers the ravages of a hot climate. The scorching sun above barely allows any plants to flourish. It is not shocking that trees have a sparse pattern with some places having no trees at all.

And so we were pleasantly shocked to find schools where pupils genuinely engage in tree-planting: watering, tending to and mulching them to ensure survival.

Scanning over the landscape all one sees is a hue of brown: scorched leaves that somehow blend with earth. “We want greenery all around. It will be so good to come to school and walk on green grass and play around healthy green trees,” Mutunga says.