It’s Time To Restore Our Rivers ECOSYSTEMS

Mburu Machua, the Rotary Environment and Model Schools Programs Coordinator walked into the Rotary Club of Kitengela (RCK) meeting this Tuesday with an infectious smile and upbeat disposition. Hidden beneath his smile however, was a no nonsense demeanor on matters environment, that would reveal itself when he arose to speak on the subject.

Machua, an advocate by profession, is particularly passionate about preserving the environment for future generations and was present to shed more light on Rotary’s Adopt a River and Model School initiative. The initiative is coming at a time when the country is grappling with persistent water shortages caused by drying up as well as heavily polluted rivers and streams. A case in point was the thousands of dead fish that washed up along Athi River’s banks in Machakos County after the flash flood this weekend.

The Adopt a river initiative is a partnership between UN Environment and Rotary’s 9212 District, which covers Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Eritrea that seeks to restore river ecosystems in these regions. The Athi river basin is the target of the initial phase of the initiative due to its high levels of pollution.

The RCK led by its Environment champion Daniel Wanjuki, is also set to join this initiative by planning to adopt a river as well. Wanjuki, who is also a sustainable waste solutions expert, is excited to have the relatively young club participate in efforts to preserve the planet. The club will be adopting a section of River Mbagathi in collaboration with the Rotary clubs of Machakos and Syokimau. Additionally, two members of RCK- Wanjuki and Margaret Kariuki – are members of the Adopt a River steering committee that will be commissioning a pilot study on the Ondiri swamp this week.

During his remarks on ways of preserving the environment for future generations, Machua further emphasized the importance of raising children in whom the importance of taking care of the environment is engrained. These children would grow up with the values required to not only restore but also implement policies and values that would ensure sustainable ecosystem practices.

An impactful approach he opined, would be through the Rotary schools models approach that involves educating, planting trees and providing support to nurture conservation efforts in schools. RCK, is currently partnering with pupils in two public schools for its WASH Program

By Caroline Njiru