Live Green 009 by Kenya Climate Innovation Center

LIVE GREEN

LIVE GREEN ISSUE 09

REFORESTATION FOR CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY

9 19 27

Israel Offers Startup Accelerators Course

Is Kenya undergoing desertification?

Doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Perspective: Trees Impact on Human Health

A publication of Kenya Climate Innovation Center

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ISSUE 09

Table of contents

6 7 9 19 21 23

Working with Communities for Climate Sustainability

Trees are Communicating with Each Other. Maybe, just maybe, trees do communicate with each other. Come to think of it, with the variability in geophysical phenomena that interacts with trees every single day, from the time they are young, it would be impossible for… Israel Offers Startup Accelerators Course

Is Kenya Undergoing Desertification? It is the diminishing forest-cover that is most likely to be leading to desertification. The subsiding rainfall and intensifying temperatures is something to worry about. KMD in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry reports that the… Api Bio – Bees for Climate Cleanup

Carbon Footprint, What You Can do to Reduce Yours …spending mindful time in the forest is known as forest bathing; it is a form of medical therapy. Naturally, a tree absorbs Carbon Dioxide (CO2) from the ambient air to generate its food. Take a thought of the…

Doctor’s Perspective: Importance of Trees on Human Health The importance of trees on our health may sound a bit overrated but the brutal truth is that we can never survive without trees.

Credits Executive Editor – Edward Mungai Editorial Director – Ruth Ndegwa Senior Editor - Ernest Chitechi Editor – Solomon Irungu Commissioning Editor - Vincent Ogaya Writers – Felix Magaju, Zachary Mikwa, Mwende Mwololo, Arnold Muthanga, Stephen Musyoka, Sarah Makena, Vincent Ogaya and Solomon Irungu Contributors – Michelle Mung’ata, Irene Nassuna, Kennedy Mugo, Peninah Warura Photography – Solomon Irungu Layout – Enos Weswa A publication of: Kenya Climate Innovation Center. Strathmore Business School Building, 3rd Floor, Ole Sangale Road, Madaraka, PO Box 49162 – 00200, Nairobi, Kenya. Telephone:(+254) 703 034 701 Email: communication@kenyacic.org Website: www.kenyacic.org

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Editorial

ive Green magazine is a publication of Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC). It is a leading magazine in matters climate change and is in line with KCIC’s mission of making available relevant information on climate sustainability. This information is aimed at engaging and motivating the private sector organizations and individuals to take climate action. The content herein is contributed by individuals and institutions interested in sharing ideas that will be the birthplace of solutions to the adverse effects of climate change. In each issue of this quarterly publication, we endeavor to address a particular theme in the climate sphere. In this copy, climate change and sustainability practitioners have shared profound insights and observations on the role that trees play in climate sustainability. The general observation is that trees have an interesting way of communicating with each other. They also have a key role to play in reducing greenhouse gases and individual carbon footprints. This publication has also featured climate related news and upcoming events in Kenya and other countries. It offers readers the opportunity to explore diverse prospects that they can exploit to accelerate their thoughts in the green world.

Edward Mungai

You can contribute an article in the subsequent publications; Send in your 450 – 550 words article to communication@kenyacic.org. The article may also be published on the blog or news segments of our website www.kenyacic.org or clients and partner websites. It may also be edited to fit our editorial guidelines. Once your article has been published, you will be notified via email. Live Green magazine is distributed online for free to thousands of KCIC subscribers, partners and clients. Printed copies are also delivered to our audiences. To run an advertisement on the publication, send in your inquiry with the information you wish to advertise on communication@kenyacic.org. Edward Mungai, Executive Editor, KCIC CEO.

About KCIC Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) is a World Bank’s infoDev initiative and is among a global network of Climate Innovation Centers launched by infoDev’s Climate Technology Program (CTP). We are funded by the United Kingdom’s UKaid and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. KCIC offers incubation, capacity building and financing options to new business ventures and Kenyan entrepreneurs that are developing innovative solutions in agribusiness, energy, water and waste management to address the challenges of climate change. We provide holistic and country-driven support to accelerate the development, deployment and transfer of locally relevant climate and clean energy technologies. Our interventions are spread throughout Kenya. To become our client, apply online via www.kenyacic.org/apply

A publication of Kenya Climate Innovation Center

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ISSUE 09

Reforestation for Climate Sustainability By Solomon Irungu

Ivy Otambo of KCIC and other volunteers ready to start the tree planting

eforestation is one of the primary ways of claiming the sustainability of the climate as it involves planting trees either where some existed before or where there were none at all (afforestation). As part of a belated celebration of World Environment Day, Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) partnered with other organizations towards the end of June 2019 for a tree-planting and cleanup exercise in Nairobiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s South B estate and Nairobi South Primary School. The whole-day exercise aimed at rehabilitating the area through environmental cleanliness while setting pace of how the environment should be maintained. More than 300 trees were

planted at the school. KCIC was the main sponsor of the event; it partnered with Clean Up Kenya, Nairobi South Primary School and the City County Government of Nairobi among other volunteers like Zeb Cleaning Services and residents of the area. Clean Up Kenya is a nationwide environmental project that seeks to reverse the problem of litter on the streets, neighborhoods, highways, rivers and lakes by proposing a simple but bold blueprint for what can be done by individuals, organisations, communities and the nation

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to bring about the realisation of a cleaner and more environmentally presentable country. Zeb Cleaning Services is a private organization that offers affordable cleaning services as it aims to establishing and maintaining a clean environment. Among the services it offers include office, domestic and post-events/construction cleaning, pests control and fumigation and sanitary bins. The three companies have also been previously involved in different tree planting exercises in the entire country. The City County Government of Nairobi has also been working on greening Kenya’s capital city. Some of its interventions include conducting a monthly clean up exercise, clearing dumping sites that have been existing for many years and the currently ongoing beautification of the city especially among the main motorways. During the clean-up and tree planting exercise, the City County Government of Nairobi provided its trucks to transport the garbage that was collected. It also sent in workers who assisted with the manual bits of the exercise. Besides the clean-up and tree planting, the event focused on creating public awareness on the role of communities in ensuring green, safe and clean neighbourhoods. This is mainly by less felling of trees and more planting to replenish the lush green of the environment. Other core messages that were proliferated were the effects of littering and illegal dumping, communal and civic duties of individuals, organizations and communities towards ensuring green, safe and litter-free neighborhoods and how to come up with innovative enterprises that are climatefriendly. Ernest Chitechi, the Corporate Services Manager at KCIC said that the event that had over 200 volunteers was a good training ground to make new ambassadors of a green environment. “We managed to train the

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volunteers on different roles of environmental and climatic conservations,” he said. “Besides the more than 300 trees varieties that we planted, we also got the chance to conduct a sanitation clinic at the school where children and the general public were taught about personal hygiene and public sanitation.” One of the partners, Clean Up Kenya, had also been working closely with the volunteers and the ward administration to create a week-long awareness programme of the event as well the main themes of the training. “I was happy but not surprised to see the multitude that showed up here,” Betterman Simidi the Chief Executive Officer of Clean Up Kenya said in an interview. “We had done sufficient mobilization and awareness and the residents of the area were very receptive and positive about the event.” Judy Njugi who stays in the locality where the event took place was glad that there were like-minded organisations like KCIC and Clean Up Kenya were bringing the message of climate sustainability closer to the people especially through reforestation. “I am happy that the agenda of climate change has been demystified and simplified to make it desirable for implementation by the residents of Nairobi,” she noted. “I work for an organization (Zeb Cleaning Services) whose mantra is ‘we do not beat corners, we clean them’ and thus this event is a great move that should be carried forward to the coming days.” The partners in the tree planting and clean up event are now focusing at creating sustainability for the exercise by working closely with the school to nurture the trees. “We are in talks with the school to take care of the trees and ensure that they survive,” Betterman further said. “We also welcome other partners to join in such programmes as we endeavor to have a clean world and friendly climate.”

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ISSUE 09

Working with Communities for Climate Sustainability

KCIC Corporate Services Manager during a sensitisation moment to a section of the pupils at Nairobi South Primary School

Residents of South B planting their seedling

Mwalya Wambua from KCIC plants his tree

On standby, KCIC staff with their trees

Happy pupils and residents plant â&#x20AC;&#x153;a tree of togethernessâ&#x20AC;?

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Trees are Talking to Each Other

By Zachary Mikwa

o trees talk to each other? Do they develop friendship? Do they take care of their young ones? In short, do trees communicate with each other? Well, prepare for a surprise - Yes they do! Findings of a renown German forester, Peter Wohlleben, have revealed that trees have feelings and are capable of forming strong bonds with each other. They also take care of each over a period of many years. Peter has shaken the forestry world with his ideas in his bestselling book: The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate.

A publication of Kenya Climate Innovation Center

To delay possible refutations that might claim such findings as impossible in the scientific realm, you may flex your thoughts on the latest scientific studies conducted at reputable universities, Like Leipzig in Germany among others around the world, which concur with the possibility that communication exists in the world of trees. Scientists are now coming to realize that trees are far more alert, communal and embody a sophisticated communication channel. In other words, trees are much more intelligent than we had initially thought.

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LIVE GREEN As I am typing this while turning and twitching on my swivel somewhere along Ngong Road in Nairobi, I push open the office window slightly to listen to the calm rustles of the nearby canopies in the Thursday afternoon breeze. Behold, they look like they do really talk. The enthralling thorny Acacias scattered in most parts of Strathmore University are becoming more vibrantly alive and charged with wonder. Maybe, just maybe, trees do communicate with each other. Come to think of it, with the variability in geophysical phenomena that interacts with trees every single day, from the time they are young, it would be impossible for a tree to thrive and establish an ecosystem on its own; with so much solitude. Alone, a tree is at the mercy of extreme weather conditions. However, together, they create an ecosystem that: moderates extreme temperatures and creates food reservoirs enabling them to grow for more than a century old. For acacias in the semi-arid areas of SubSaharan Africa, tremendous struggles with the tropical heat and death-defying dramas from the towering browsers such as giraffes are a menace that can only be endured through collaboration. Acacias survive the African Savannah by communicating through the air, using pheromones and other scent signals just like animals. When a hungry giraffe browses on acacia leaves, the tree feels the injury and releases a distress signal in the form of ethylene gas. When the neighboring acacias detect the signal, they start exuding tannins into their leaves to sicken or send away browsers. This is the reason why Africa giraffes have evolved to browse against the wind lest they get poisoned by an acacia on alert.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;The enthralling thorny Acacias scattered in most parts of Strathmore University are becoming more vibrantly alive and charged with wonder. We have generally assumed that trees are disconnected, competitive and lonely components of our biodiversity. A growing body of scientific evidence now refutes this idea. Trees of similar species are communal and will often take care of their young and share resources through complex chemical signaling systems happening at the mycorrhizal end of their roots. Apart from leaving us awed by their lessunderstood social characteristics, trees still perplex us further by their regeneration capability. Trees suck in water and nutrients from the soil to make food for humans, birds, mammals and other trees. The system is so perfect to an extent that unlike humans, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to move elsewhere to thrive. They simply absorb the carbon dioxide in their surroundings to release a fresh breath of Oxygen during the day - a critical element for the survival of aerobic organisms. Trees thrive without wasting resources neither do they pollute - a perfect example worth emulating in a world lacking the principles of circular economy.

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Israel Offers Startup Accelerators Course

Graduation ceremony of the Startup Accelerators Course

By Felix Magaju

srael’s Agency for International Development Cooperation in the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MASHAV) working with GIZ Make IT Africa Program has this year offered an international course on “Startup Accelerators in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem”. The two weeks long training was held from mid-June, 2019 and was attended by 18 participants from six African countries with Kenya being represented by five representatives. Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) was among four other attendees of the course. This practical course provided

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participants with skills, knowledge and networking aimed at equipping one with knowledge on how to build a supportive ecosystem that supports innovation across their country. It also gave practical tools on how to start and manage a business accelerator program and support innovative companies to secure finance. A business accelerator program is an entity and framework that enables ventures to accelerate their “time to market” and to develop their business model. It offers new ventures the opportunities for fund raising and for reaching out to investors.

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The course also gave the participants the chance to interact with other professionals in other countries in what was considered to be a benchmarking exercise and exchange of knowledge and experiences on how to upscale innovative Medium and Small Market Enterprises (MSMEs). Besides this networking, the participants interacted with the top 15 MSMEs in Israel and gathered insights on how to promote the MSMEs in their countries to match global competition.

consecutive courses will be held annually in different participating countries.

The participants from Kenya presented a project on “Engaging Corporates and MSMEs into the Kenya Innovative Ecosystem” which upon implementation seeks to identify challenges in the corporate and business world and engaging innovators to solve them. The project was applauded as a potential field of funding. Further discussions about the project are ongoing as more stakeholders continue being brought on board. The course was the first one of this kind;

MASHAV’s activities focus primarily on areas in which Israel has a competitive advantage, including agriculture and rural development; water resources management; entrepreneurship and innovation; community development; medicine and public health, empowerment of women and education. It offers professional programs that are based on a “train the trainers” approach to institutional and human capacity building.

The approach MASHAV’s methodology ensured is to ensure social, economic and environmentally sustainable development and is taking active part in the international community’s process of shaping the Post-2015 Agenda, to define the new set of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Applications opening soon!

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Innovation Throngs Incubation Applications

KCIC An innovator in Bomet trains the local community on the use of compost manure

By Solomon Irungu Applicants of the Incubation Programme at the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) Incubation Programme have in the recent days competitively exhibited new ideas around the key thematic areas of the famous KCIC programme. Business analysts have been visiting the applicants in a bid to evaluate the prototypes developed as well as share insights into different spheres of business development. Among the innovators is Brifurn Limited located in Kiangururia, Nakuru County. The innovator manufactures briquettes from bagasse (sugarcane waste), rice

A publication of Kenya Climate Innovation Center

and coffee husks and saw dust using a semi-autonomous machine. The invention is geared towards reducing deforestation in search of firewood and raw materials for burning charcoal. The technology is also geared towards environmental conservation because it uses waste products which would have otherwise been dumped into the environment thus causing pollution. In Nyangares, Bomet County, Pinemark Africa Limited is an applicant who is working with the area Community Forest Association (CFA) to produce organic fertiliser from locally available waste materials. This is based on

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LIVE GREEN the premise that over the years, the soils in the area have been worn out by the consistent use of synthetic fertilisers; they have gradually become less productive. The communities have also been felling trees in the adjacent Mau Forest to burn charcoal as a form of livelihood. Noting that the communities are also avid farmers, the innovator is working to have a joint venture with the farmers to rehabilitate the soil and reduce deforestation by giving them innovative and productive farming technologies. The Incubation Programme has been admitting companies that come up with innovative solutions in water management, renewable energy and agribusiness to address the negative impacts of climate change. Applications are received by the organization on a rolling basis although clients are admitted twice per year. In the coming weeks however, the programme shall be including three more thematic areas which are: commercial forestry, waste management and energy efficiency.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Śshall be including three more thematic areas which are: commercial forestry, waste management and energy efficiency. Kenya Climate Innovation Center has so far incubated more than 300 clients who have helped mitigate 220,000+ T of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). The clients have collectively managed to generate $19,000,000 worth of revenue and created more than 3,000 employment opportunities. This is in line with the organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission of providing incubation, financing and awareness that empowers the private sector to deliver innovative climate change solutions.

The incubation programme is a 12-month program targeting start-ups and early stage enterprises that have at least developed a prototype. The enterprises receive intensive practical training and business mentorship to enable them prove their concepts in the market and progress towards commercialization. Clients who successfully complete this program graduate to the KCIC Green-Tech Accelerator Programme where they are prepared for higher investments. Among the services offered during the programme are business advisory, an enabling environment, access to finance, access to facilities and access to information.

KCIC business analysts interviewing an incubation programme applicant

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Monitoring And Evaluation An Important Element For Non-Governmental Organisations By Stephen Musyoka

onitoring and Evaluation (M&E) has over the past few years developed to become a critical unit in organisations. Whereas the meaning of what M&E is may differ across different organisations, there is a general consensus that it involves tracking the implementation of a project using specific indicators, tools and processes and at the same time evaluating whether the project has met the desired outcomes. In modern M&E, the process involves coming up with systematic, flexible, and participatory approach for projects, choosing tracking indicators and defining how they will be measured, and choosing the tools to do the measuring. M&E has become a core business unit in organisations and it is a very essential need for the performance of such organisations. It is not an imposed control instrument by the donor or an optional accessory, it is an embedded concept and constitutive part of every project. It provides new insights to management to facilitate decision making. It is critical in learning from the experiences of past projects and creating measures for future improvements. It is also a necessary process in ensuring internal and external accountability of the resources used in a project and evaluating whether there is value based on the results obtained. Most organisations use M&E to understand the nature and impact of A publication of Kenya Climate Innovation Center

interventions to beneficiaries of the projects. New environment in NGOs has ensured that M&E is a major department in the organisations. They have integrated M&E in their core business by integrating M&E expertise into a Communication, Knowledge Management and Learning Strategy. They also hire M&E specialists with the requisite experience while other organisations actually have a funding element for M&E and related activities. M&E is exceptionally important in forestry projects. These projects which are implemented in places that need new skills of foresters and also involve different participants need to be closely monitored and the results measured by observing spotlights on a projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sources of information, daily exercises, staff and yields to generally improve on the project. M&E reevaluates the nature of the forestry projects and bolsters mid-course rectifications while ex-projects assessments address moderation and follow-up exercises in the venture region and offer lessons for the design of other forestry projects. This is particularly important because forestry is a delicate project whose survival is determined by the outcome of other issues like climate and human activities. It is also crucial because forestry projects are long term and the results may take years before they can be analyzed. Involving M&E at the earliest stage is thus very critical.

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Championing access to clean energy: one on one with George Mwangala By Vincent Ogaya & Sarah Makena

George Mwangala wears a dark, long and slick beard- the kind that has become so popular in Kenya lately. His facial outlook is matched with eyes that are gentle and appealing. Yet behind this face is an innovative campaigner who has led other young people in championing access to clean energy not only in Kenya but also across Africa. He spoke to Vincent Ogaya and Sarah Makena on the status of access to renewable energy in Kenya, his experiences in advocacy and what promise the recently passed Energy Act holds for our country.

George Mwangala

LIVE GREEN Who is George Mwangala and what does he do?

What was your experience with the Big Shift Campaign?

I work with Purpose where I lead climate and energy work for the Kenya office. I have experience working on energy access and climate change both in Kenya, across the region and globally. My areas of interest are climate policy, energy policy and how these affect communities.

In 2017, we ran a campaign called the Big Shift which was basically around shifting from fossils to clean and renewable energy sources and we went round the country talking to communities and political aspirants as well, given that 2017 was an election year. Our aim was to understand the expectations of communities in terms of energy access and whether this could form part of the political agenda, and yes communities understood it as a big issue that needed much focus. There was however a big disconnect with policy makers at the county level because by then, there were no standalone energy departments in almost all the counties. The first-generation County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) almost had zero mentions of energy. So, we did a lot of sensitisation to political aspirants to ensure energy access found its place in political conversations.

What drives your passion in championing access to clean energy? Mostly itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because I grew up in a village where almost everyone was using wood, charcoal and the korobois (lanterns). I had the privilege, at some point, of using gas lamps so it was interesting to see how that was different from the rest of the people in the village. Having moved to the city, it was amazing to see that there were communities still using kerosene for lighting and cooking. But then, you still find a lot of communities in this country who use wooden charcoal as a primary source of fuel for cooking. This makes kitchens sooty because of the exposure to smoke which is also a health risk. I contrasted this with the available options in clean energy based on my experiences abroad where I saw how clean energy improved lifestyles. I thought these are things that can definitely work at home. Out of curiosity, my interest in energy access grew. How do you see energy access in Kenya right now? We are still energy poor as a country. We look at energy only from the lighting pointing of view. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what the Last Mile for instance has focused on. To me, energy access means I can cook with energy that is clean, available and affordable. It means I can light my home, easily produce and pump water to a farm. Until then, our country still remains energy poor.

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You did a lot of work around the Energy Act. Tell us more of the opportunities it has for Kenyans. The Energy Act provides a lot of opportunities for everyone to have access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy. That is to say, energy they can pay for, energy that is stable and energy that is sustainable to the environment. The provision for energy planning in the counties and nationally and the need for the government to enable everyone access energy gives us, as civil society, the exercise of demanding the same. Investments in the energy sector have the potential to enable access to energyâ&#x20AC;Ś Definitely! What the government needs to do is to ensure there is political goodwill which- as per now- has been affirmed by the passage of the Energy Act. We now need sound regulations that would provide an

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LIVE GREEN enabling environment for investors to want to put their money in the energy sector. There definitely has to be incentives too, which could include tax breaks and land for investors to say, put up solar firms. How about innovations? Kenya is an innovation hub and we only need to do more in terms of shifting ideas to clean energy. Young people need to be offered incentives and the opportunity to learn. This way, they can come up with innovations that make energy affordable, efficient and sustainable.

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Planning from the basic level is key, so that you don’t put up a polytechnic that is fully equipped with machinery and computers only to realise during its launch that it doesn’t have a source of power. There’s need for knowledge transfer from national to county governments. By hiring technical people, concepts around energy will be demystified to government officials and policy makersso that when they start planning, they look at energy as something that is driving the success of their plans, projects and all the other sectors in general.

Your parting shots… Energy is the driver of development and should be given due recognition as such.

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KCIC and Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on promoting youth entrepreneurship

Cheerful smiles during the send-off ceremony of a former KCIC staff, Alise Brillault

Exchanging the financing document between KCIC and Dash Crop Limited

A green energy innovator during an interview with KCIC staff

KCIC Client Services Manager Felix Magaju during the welcoming into the Startup Accelerators Course held in Israel

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Ongoing session during the 2019 Startup Accelerators Course

Brifurn Innovators co-founder at the firm where they make briquettes from waste products

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Exchanging the MoU document between KCIC and YEDF top management

One of the innovators in Bomet farming French Beans using compost manure from waste products

Part of KCIC staff during a team building exercise

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Is Kenya Undergoing Desertification? By Solomon Irungu

It is still in the wee hours of dawn as I take my morning jog when my train of thoughts is drawn to the <current> weather. “It is not so cold today,” I start thinking, “by the way it has been as cold as any other month of July could have been.” As I jog down the brittle brown grass that forms part of the vegetation in Kiambu, I start cogitating about the drastic changes that the climate of Kenya has had since I was a small boy. During the onset of July, it was normally very cold. I vividly remember how as small boys we would step out to touch the dew that rested lazily on the green lush grass that was commonly named ‘Kikuyu Grass’. I vividly recall how we would be playing in puddles of water that were yet to dry from the previous long rains that fell from the beginning of March to the end of May. Presently, Kenya has a serious water shortage as it is functioning at 350M3 per capita water deficit annually. Studies also indicate that the current water supply is 647M3 per capita annually while the globally recommended threshold is 1,000M3 per capita. I reminisce how the morning chill made our breath look like puffs of steam because the breath was hotter than the surrounding air. “What could have

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LIVE GREEN happened yet this is the same locality of Kiambu that we grew up in?â&#x20AC;? I probe myself. I attribute these dynamic changes to the felling of trees that has been happening over the years. I recollect how our fathers would be arrested by the chief and the administration police for cutting down a tree. Normally, one was supposed to have planted and nurtured two trees before destroying one. In the recent times however, trees are being cut down even in water catchment areas like Mau Forest and being replaced with industries, houses and roads. As I reflect about the climatic changes, I recall that the forests have greatly decreased. Currently the country is at less than 7% trees cover against the United Nations recommended 10 per cent. This means that more than 200 million trees need to be planted. The recently launched tree planting campaign needs to supported by all players to ensure that Kenya plants at least 235 million trees by the year 2022. It is the diminishing forest-cover that is most likely to be leading to desertification. The subsiding rainfall and intensifying temperatures is something to worry about. Kenya Meteorological Department in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry reports

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that the March to May 2019 seasonal rainfall ceased in several parts of the nation. Most parts of the country experienced belownormal rainfall that was mainly recorded in April and May 2019. Only a few places in Western Kenya and the Coastal strip recorded near-average rainfall but the distribution, but rainfall was generally poor in most parts. The seasonal rainfall onset was also quite late in the entire country with most areas remaining sunny and dry throughout the month of March 2019. The dry spell has extended to the month of June and July when it is expected to be chilly. The sun rising early in the morning and threatening to scorch further in the coming days; this is disquieting considering that the short rains that are expected to commence in August are not guaranteed if this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long rains are anything to go by. As I resign from the jog, I commit to participate in sensitizing the nation on the importance of tree planting. This is a collective task that everyone has to participate in. In the same way we celebrate different national days, it is my thinking that we should also have a National Tree Planting Day. Tree planting is one of the main ways to combat desertification and protect Kenya from the adversities of climate change.

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Buzzing for Sustainability By Solomon Irungu

Api-Bio & Cultural Enterprise Limited is a company based in Marmanet Location of Laikipia County. It was founded in 2009 by Simon Makuthi Mulwa, a young innovator who developed his idea from a Self-Help Group he was a member to. The group dealt with bee keeping and harvesting of high nutritious value of indigenous crops. Simon had for a long time, while participating in this farming, noted with immense curiosity the untapped potential that commercial bee keeping has. Over the years, he thought of coming up with a business idea that he later pitched at the Laikipia Innovation Fair. While at Laikipia Innovation Fair, his idea was noted by Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) staff who were scouting for businesses to incubate. He was encouraged to apply into the KCIC Incubation Programme.

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Manufacturing of modern beehives by Api Bio

“It was the exact opportunity that I had been looking for,” he says. “I did not hesitate to apply into that programme and in no time I had been absorbed.” He was later enrolled into the KCIC Mentorship Programme where he has learned about record keeping, taxation, business strategy, marketing strategies, financial management and climate sustainability among other topics. In Laikipia, the environment is friendly for the survival of bees especially because of the responsive weather and the nearby forests: Marmanet, Rumuruti and Mugogondo that provide a welcoming habitat for the bees. These forests have indigenous trees that provide bees with nectar and other essentials for the production of honey, wax, propolis, pollen, bee venom and royal jelly. “I use these bee products because they have medicinal value gathered from the trees,” the Api-Bio & Cultural Enterprise Limited innovator says. “Out of these I produce pharmaceutical and cosmetic products for external use.” The innovator has hitherto produced Api Skin Care, Api After Shave and Api Honey. “I noticed that many people are processing

honey for sale and decided not to major into it albeit being relatively profitable,” Simon says. “I learnt that bees can also be used for climate sustainability through agri-business and agro-processing bio-enterprise.” “These forests have indigenous trees that provide bees with nectar and other essentials for the production of… Simon says that through agri-business and agro-processing bio-enterprise, he is able to promote pollination and receive quality and quantity from farm yields without much interference with the ecosystem. “Whereas people would fell trees for food, I use bees to modify the ecosystem,” he says. “The bees are also useful in combating forests degradation because I make the bees multiply thus pollination is increased.” Api-Bio & Cultural Enterprise Limited is also manufacturing modern Langstroth Hives that help in the protection and brooding of bee species. The hives are modified in such a way that they are able to harvest higher amount of honey and protect the bees from diseases, predators and extreme weather. The innovator has also researched and identified the most productive and climate resilient bees’ species.

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Carbon Footprint, What You Can do to Reduce Yours By Mwende Mwololo

Last week, I planted a number of trees equal to my age. I developed this idea after seeing a group of young people planting trees as part of their three-day social occasion to make it a carbonneutral event. I was absolutely challenged. Although I knew I could not entirely eliminate my individual Carbon footprint only with my less than thirty trees, I considered it to be a good starting point. The ban on tree logging in Kenya

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is still in effect after being in place for more than a year. Deforestation in Kenya alone causes an estimated 20% of Carbon emission compared to the 10% from planes and cars. The rate of deforestation is currently happening faster than the rate of afforestation and reforestation; this is a misfortune because it is trees that guarantee environmental sustainability and Carbon elimination.

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LIVE GREEN Forest Bathing Trees are extremely vital for human life especially in the reduction of your Carbon footprint. In Japan, spending mindful time in the forest is known as forest bathing; it is a form of medical therapy. Naturally, a tree absorbs Carbon Dioxide (CO2) from the ambient air to generate its food. Take a thought of the consequences of bringing down a forest that is responsible for the sequestration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases… The air we breathe in would only be pure and crisp and the effects of climate change would be less if we had more trees. Without them, CO2 remains in the atmosphere and traps the outgoing heat radiated on the surface of the earth. The CO2 then reradiates back to the earth causing the greenhouse effect which is now commonly known as global warming. Global warming is solely responsible for the unusual sweltering summer currently being experienced in France. It has also instigated the historic wildfires being experienced in California. Agroforestry as a way of reducing Carbon footprint In Kenya, one of the ways of subsidising of one’s Carbon footprint and the repercussions of climate change is through agroforestry. With the burgeoning population, global warming and the need to ensure food security, farmers are now looking into sustainable agriculture. Trees have the capacity to create a favourable microclimate that is beneficial to the crops. This is a winwin situation because increased Carbon is also absorbed from the environment. Planting trees alongside crops further prevents soil erosion through wind and runoff water. The soil is thus able to retain more moisture, organic matter and nutrients. In addition, trees can be employed to reclaim degraded land or to check the development of toxicities in soil. As a result, trees on the farm end up not only mitigating climate

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change but also ensuring a higher yield for the farmer.

“…spending mindful time in the forest is known as forest bathing; it is a form of medical therapy. Despite the collective efforts being put on tree planting, climate change is still an existential global crisis. Although planting of trees is the most effective method of combating this climate change, there are other avenues to reducing one’s Carbon footprint. The first step is to be aware of your Carbon footprint. Everyday activities that promote your carbon-footprint can be minimized such as driving less, eating less meat, printing only when necessary, unplugging devices when not in use and even choosing to line dry your laundry. Active millennials globally have led causes fighting against climate change through marches and demonstrations. This has subsequently seen the British and Scottish governments recently declare climate change as a state of emergency promising immediate parliamentary action to reduce emissions. Alluding to the words of former US president Barack Obama, ‘this is the first generation that can feel the impact of climate change and the last that can do something about it.’ Therefore, go on and do your little big thing in reducing your Carbon footprint.

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For sustainable development, link local aspirations to global frameworks By Robert Muthami

Kenya is a global player in various international frameworks associated with the pressing national concerns such as the climate change and sustainable development. The government has its long-term development blueprint, the Vision 2030 which charts the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social, political and economic pathways to sustainable development.

A publication of Kenya Climate Innovation Center

In 2016, Kenya was among countries that ratified the Paris Agreement and submitted a very ambitious commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by the year 2030. Our country was also a key player in the formulation and adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, also called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or the Global Goals), a 17-point agenda set by

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LIVE GREEN the United Nations (UN) to steer the course of global development from 2016 to 2030. It is envisioned that when the goals are finally realised, nations will be able to forge lasting partnerships that would ensure the most vulnerable are pulled from poverty so that there is shared prosperity. In attempting to enhance Kenya’s economic development, President Uhuru Kenyatta during his inauguration speech for the second term, unveiled the Big Four Agenda on food security, affordable housing, manufacturing and affordable healthcare. Kenya’s current development plans are aligned towards these priorities. Under the Big Four Agenda, the government plans to create 1.3 million jobs in the manufacturing sector by 2022. It is also envisioned that manufacturing will pave the way for Kenya’s future: moving from a lower middle-income to an upper middle-income economy by the year 2030. All the four agenda items are undoubtedly important pillars in enabling the achievement of SDGs. Whether they do end up supporting the attainment of SDGs or not will so much depend on the economic strategy chosen; policy choices embedded in such a strategy; as well as the ways and means of implementation. But an economic growth path that is widening inequalities leaves experts worried whether all these notable efforts would help the country meet its stated Vision 2030 and global ambitions. The SDG’s framework especially the targets under SDG 8 (on Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 10 (on Reduced Inequalities), provide a guideline for an equitable and sustainable future and if implemented through Kenya Vision 2030, would stimulate development and lead to sustainable economic growth by creating

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decent and equitable jobs. The journey towards achieving Vision 2030, the SDGs and the commitments under the Paris Agreement will require identifying and linking of the local aspirations with the global development framework. For example, the economic pillar under Kenya’s Vision 2030 which aims at maintaining economic growth at 10% per annum should be linked to SDG Goal 8 and SDG 10. There also needs to be a paradigm shift in the way we think and innovate, especially in the wake of rapid advances in digital technology which are redefining our world of digitalisation not only in the manufacturing sector but also across all the other sectors of the economy. It will be important for Kenya to rethink what digitalisation means for global supply chains for instance; Kenya’s place in digitalisation and, as a consequence, which jobs can be created in it for the benefit of Kenyans. Lastly, it needs to be considered whether Kenyans have the relevant skills to tap into the globally changing labour market provided in the digital era and what to do to overcome skills gap. For a transition to a more equal, socially just and ecologically sustainable economic model, Kenya would have to take into account global trends and aggressively embark on them. Mr. Muthami is a Programme Coordinator at Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Kenya Office

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Doctor’s Perspective: Importance of Trees on Human Health

By Dr. Mercy Rispa M.

The importance of trees on our health may sound a bit overrated but the brutal truth is that we can never survive without trees. Besides being a source of fruits which we eat every day as a source of vitamin C, trees have a great positive impact on the climate. They provide oxygen to the environment hence enhancing the quality of air. This is in addition to other benefits such as soil and water conversation, as well as climate amelioration. Did you know that one tree is capable of providing a supply of oxygen for four people? On the contrary one person’s supply of carbon dioxide supplies to five trees. That alone explains that not tending and taking care of trees is like stabbing ourselves and expecting the next person to be hurt. Trees absorb airborne pollutants to this eliminates harmful pollutants from the atmosphere thus keeping our lungs healthy. According to recent medical research, prolonged exposure to air pollutants is a potential risk factor of cancer. We all know that cancer is one of the world’s disaster and a leading cause of death. What if we would pick up a challenge and plant more trees even as we try finding a cure for this menace? Over 50,000 plant species are used medicinally with a global trade exceeding $60 billion per year and within kingdom Plantae. It is trees that make a substantial contribution to

A publication of Kenya Climate Innovation Center

this figure. These species are used in both traditional and modern medicine. Important medicines are extracted from barks, leaves, wood, roots and flowers of trees. A major example is the anticancer called Taxol® (paclitaxel) which is derived from Taxus brevifolia (pacific yew) bark. Paclitaxel is used to treat breast, lung and ovarian cancers as well as Kaposi’s sarcoma. One dose of taxol is derived from many trees of which one tree takes close to 100 years to mature substantially. This clearly poses as a challenge that causes cancer drugs to be quite expensive. Even though biopharma industries have worked on developing such drugs from the laboratory through R-DNA technology, it would be better if we got drugs directly from the original source. If we would plant more trees, then probably we would give the researchers an opportunity to develop more drugs. According to a research done in Harvard, trees and a green environment tend to boost physical activity, social connections and hence a totality of improved mental health. It is so common to find people jogging in the woods than by the streets because of the serene environment. This leads to a totality of improved health in the society. We may never survive without trees; We need to really nurture them. Dr. Mercy Rispa M. is a private practicing pharmacist.

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Youth and SDGs: Finding Practical Solutions to Pressing Sustainability Challenges in Kenya

An initiative of Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC)

Application and Deadline Application and Deadline The deadline 15 August 2019 @ 5pm. All successful The deadline to apply isto 15apply Augustis2019 @ 5pm. All successful candidates will be notified by 20 September 2019. be notified by 20 September 2019.

candidates will

An initiative of Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC)