Four retirees from Kipevu Power Plant joined their colleagues and staff from the KenGen Foundation in a tree planting exercise to mark their last day at KenGen PLC on 8 November at Eng. Alfred Obiero’s Environment Corner within the station. The tree planting exercise was part of the KenGen Foundation’s Corporate Social Investment activities in-line with the Company’s Employee Giver Initiative objectives.

Ag. Regional Manager – Thermal Reuben Wekesa, and his counterpart Eng. Salim Omar plants a tree at Eng. Obiero’s corner.

Led by the Foundation’s Ag. Managing Trustee Anthony Igecha, and Ag. Regional Manager Reuben Wekesa – Thermal; North Konzi, Benson Musembi, John Mwanzia, and Peter Marube joined more than eighty Kipevu staff in planting 320 tree seedlings as a way of “greening” the power plant’s environment.

Ngong Hills Environmental Cleanup Kicks Off Giving Season

Speaking during the event, Eng. Wekesa encouraged Kipevu staff to continue planting trees as a way of mitigating the effects of adverse climate changes affecting the country. He appealed to the participants to uphold retired Eng. Alfred Obiero’s vision of greening Kipevu Power Plant and nurture the seedlings planted.

Echoing the manager’s sentiment, Anthony Igecha lauded the impressive turnout and was grateful that the Foundation was involved in the tree planting exercise.

“As a Foundation, we are proud to be associated with this activity as it aligns with our environment pillar and our flagship environmental program the Schools Green Initiative Challenge”, he said.

“As an organization, we hope that Kipevu will be involved in the program as we expand to schools in Kilifi, Kwale, and Mombasa counties”, he added.

Benson Musembi during the tree planting exercise. Benson has served KenGen for more than 20 years.

Benson Musembi retires from the Company’s Administration Department, while North Konzi worked in Finance. Both John Mwanzia and Peter Marube were in Operations.

During the luncheon held in their honor, the retirees thanked the Company for the opportunity and advised the rest to stay focused and committed in their work.

Business Value of KenGen’s CSI

Expressing sincere gratitude for their service, Salim Omar, Chief Engineer – Thermal, praised their commitment and dedication to KenGen and wished them the best in their sunset years. His counterpart Oswlad Ngeti -Union Representative praised the work ethics that saw them devote more than twenty years of service to the Company.

Organized by the KenGen Foundation, the Kipevu tree planting exercise follows an earlier environmental cleanup carried out at Ngong Hills Power Station. It is part of KenGen Employee Giver Initiative activities aimed at involving KenGen staff in the company’s CSI.

Similar activities will be rolled out at other KenGen regions over the next few weeks.

The KenGen Foundation wishes the retirees all the best in their future endeavors.

SCROLL THROUGH THE PICS TO SEE HOW THE TREE PLANTING EXERCISE HAPPENED

Follow us on Twitter through @KenGen_Foundatn and like our Facebook page for more updates.

–Ernest Nyamasyo, Communication Officer

The KenGen Foundation’s desk was a beehive of activities as fifteen new ‘Givers’ subscribed to the KenGen Employee Giver Initiative during this year’s G2G Innovation seminar held at Enashipai Resort and Spa from 3-7 July.

KenGen Foundation’s Dorcas Arama at the Foundation’s desk during the 5th G2G Innovation Seminar 2017

Participants and delegates stopped by to inquire, and find out more about how they could get involved in the Company’s Corporate Investment activities through the Employee Giver Initiative which centres its activities on the Foundation’s three key pillars of sustainability namely Environment, Education, and Water & Sanitation.

Under the seminar’s theme of “Partnerships for Innovation”, the Foundation was delighted to welcome the new Givers who will join the more than 800 subscribers in supporting the Company’s Education Scholarships and Mentorship program, reforestation projects, and improving access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene for communities living around KenGen’s power stations.

KenGen Foundation’s Cathy Kwena with a new Giver Michael Ogonji, Senior Engineer Capital Planning

 “I believe that this is a very good initiative for a worthy cause. Helping the needy is a basic instinct to humanity and should be encouraged. The environment gives us resources free, but all it also requires us to manage it sustainably. Let us all join hands and embrace the true spirit of humanity”, said Michael Ogonji, Senior Engineer Capital Planning.

The KenGen Employee Giver Initiative is part of KenGen’s commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen while at the same time adding value to the livelihoods of neighbouring communities.

The initiative is in line with this year’s G2G main objective, which is to encourage employees to embrace and embed innovation in the Company’s operations by coming up with new ideas relating to new business models, revenue generation and cost cutting measures.

KenGen Givers voluntarily contribute and participate in the company’s CSI activities. They also use their time and skills in brainstorming and providing solutions to day-to-day challenges facing the marginalized communities.

The Initiative is also an important channel for diversifying funding for the Company’s CSI projects. It also aims at increasing KenGen employees’ attitudes and feelings of ownership and affiliation to the company’s projects, specifically community ones.

Givers also have a great opportunity to develop their leadership and project management skills, meet and mingle with community members, as well as staff from other stations during the CSI activities.

“It just feels good to give back to the community”, said Faith Katua, Senior IT Auditor and the latest addition to the Giver family.

Karibuni sana new Givers!

198 teachers, including head teachers and principals from 90 schools in the semi-arid areas of Embu, Machakos and Kitui counties underwent a capacity building exercise from 1-3 March in preparation of their taking part in phase III of the Schools’ Green Initiative Challenge program

The training, facilitated by the KenGen Foundation, Better Globe Forestry, Bamburi Cement, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and Kenya Forest Service (KFS) aimed to equip the new ‘Green Teachers’ and school heads with the necessary skills and information on how to participate and manage the afforestation competition.

READ HERE: Specialized ‘Mukau Tree” Facility Set to Change Kenya’s Dry-land Landscape

KenGen Foundation Senior Programs Officer Anthony Igecha says the inclusion in the training of the schools’ head teachers during phase three of the afforestation competition is crucial for the successful implementation of the project.

School heads and Environmental Club Patrons at one of the trainings held at Mbondoni Secondary School, Kitui County. The inclusion of the headteachers is crucial for the success of the afforestation competition.

“The schools administration need to own the project right from the beginning. This will ensure that the students get full support, and also guarantee the allocation of necessary resources for the project,” said Igecha.

The teachers were coached on the various characteristics of the GIC including

READ HERE: GIC Steering Committee Field Trip To Assess Project

In anticipation of the annual short rains in April, all the schools participating in the Green Initiative Expansion Project in Embu, Kitui and Machakos counties have received the seedlings of the trees of choice in the “greening” competition, March 2016.

The distribution was carried out to coincide with the long rains and after our monitoring officers had certified the schools were ready for the seedlings.

KenGen staff inspecting a school’s woodlot, Embu County. All the schools involved in the GIC have now received seedlings in preparation for the long rains.

The seedlings of Senna siamea and Melia volkensii, locally known as Muveshi and Mukau respectively, are now more than a foot in height, and have already started sprouting, while the 5,000 paw-paw seedlings are also ready for distribution.

“We are excited to begin the next phase of the Green Initiative Challenge”, said Amos Mbutu, the KenGen Environment Officer at 7-Forks. “ Some of the participating schools in Kitui and Embu had poorly prepared sites that did not conform to the recommendations and have to be redone”.

In preparation for the kick-off of the GIC Phase 2, school patrons and teachers from institutions participating in the program benefited from capacity building sessions held at various centres in the three counties of Kitui, Machakos & Embu.

“Green” teachers taking notes during the GIC capacity building exercise. The teachers are instrumental to the success of the GIC program.

The training facilitated by the sponsors KenGen Foundation, Better Globe Forestry and Bamburi Cement empowered the participants with technical knowledge on good tree nursery management, planting methods and seedling nurturing practices. They will in turn transfer the skills to the students involved in the afforestation competition.

Apart from gaining in-depth knowledge of the characteristics of the GIC tree and fruit species, participants also learnt various nursery management practices including weeding, seed propagation, pest and disease control, and best practices in sustainable water harvesting.