Kanzinwa Primary School, Kitui County, was recognized as the winner of Phase V of KenGen Foundation’s flagship environmental conservation programme the Schools’ Green Initiative Challenge, a school based afforestation competition located in the semi-arid counties of Embu, Machakos and Kitui on 17 May.
Kanzinwa Primary beat 99 other competing schools in the two year competition that saw them record the highest survival rates of indigenous tree seedlings provided by project partner Better Globe Forestry.
The second runner up was Kaseve Primary School, Machakos County, with Kamathitu Secondary School in position three.
Representing KenGen PLC’s MD and CEO during the event, Mr. Paul Wambugu, KenGen PLC’s Innovation Manager, lauded the efforts of the winning schools saying, ” As we celebrate our achievements in GIC it is important to recognize the devastating effects of climate change on the environment and livelihoods and to also note that through such positive actions KenGen continuously renews its commitment and goodwill towards sound environmental management at all levels”.
The Schools Green Initiative Challenge project is designed as a challenge to participating schools, mainly due to the dry weather conditions in the areas, with prizes awarded based on the highest survival rate of seedlings and use of innovation with the best performing schools standing to benefit from education scholarships, infrastructural development, water tanks and rainwater-harvesting, and cash awards, among others. This encourages school children and communities to sustainably manage the woodlots, which provides the schools with renewable sources of wood fuel, reducing pressure on surrounding vegetation and forest resources.
Implemented by Kengen Foundation and Better Globe Forestry, GIC is a 10 year program that targets to enrol 1,000 schools and greening a total of 460 acres with 324,300 tree seedlings as well as 113,956 fruit seedlings (passion and pawpaw). The programme also includes 2 capacity building sessions per year for all participating schools and comt Monitoring and Evaluation sessions per year.
The Phase V Awards are a culmination of activities that began in 2019, with the enrolment of 100 schools from the three counties.
Mr. Anthony Igecha, the Managing Trustee of the KenGen Foundation emphasised the organization’s commitment to environmental conservation through afforestation.
“Through the Foundation, KenGen as a company is committed to environmental conservation and has put substantial resources to sustainably safeguard the environment it shares with other communities at around areas of operations and the country at large.
It is with this in mind that the company continues to invest in long-term programs such as the GIC, which is dedicated to environmental conservation by promoting a tree planting culture with particular emphasis to the school children, who are indeed, the transformational agents for a better environment.”
During the Award Ceremony, the partners also announced the launch of GIC Phase VII, which brings on board 100 schools from Kitui, Machakos and Embu Counties. This addition brings to 700 the number of schools participating in the project since its launch in 2015.
As part of the Phase VII activities, 100 “Green Teachers” and 100 Headmasters from the 100 recruited schools underwent a capacity building training on managing and nurturing their woodlots in various centres across the three counties.
“As we launch Phase VII today, we remain committed to working with the communities through such collaborations with like-minded organizations, to jointly reverse the climate change effects in Arid and Semi Arid Areas in Kenya”, added Mr. Igecha.
Participating schools plant drought resistant – multi-purpose Senna siamea (Muveshi), Melia volkensii (Mukau) and Terminalia brownii (Muuku) tree seedlings on their specially designated 0.5 to 1 acre plots. Once maintained, the trees accord the schools an opportunity to diversify their income through sale of timber as well as non-timber products.
Better Globe Forestry Managing Director Mr. Jean-Paul Deprins congratulated the winning schools saying, “The GIC is just one of the environmental projects that the Foundation implements with partners Bamburi Cement Ltd., and Better Globe Forestry. Our efforts are now bearing fruit as we expand to West Pokot and Turkana counties with an extension of the GIC with other partners. “
The event also recognized the efforts of the “Green Teachers” from the three competing counties and also awarded certificates to the project’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officers.
The ultimate goal of the GIC is to raise the awareness and participation of school children in environmental conservation and ultimately increase the country’s forest cover to 10% that is recommended by United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
The project will also contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases through carbon sequestration, and the control soil erosion by increasing topsoil infiltration and reducing run-off.
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–Ernest Nyamasyo, Communication Officer
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