Climate Change Resilience
When people say “climate resilience,” it can sound like a report title. On the Ngong River in Zone 2, it sounds like boots, rakes, young people counting their days on a payroll they did not have last month, and the stubborn hope that water can run clean again if enough hands refuse to give up.
ETCO anchors part of this reality through the Climate Resilience Service Programme — Climate Worx Mtaani — alongside the Ngong River Regeneration Network. We are not doing theatre. We are guiding cohorts, sharing equipment, correcting technique, and sometimes simply staying present when the work feels heavier than the heat.
Numbers that stretch the imagination
The initiative is built for scale: a year-long push aiming to employ at least 20,000 youth across Nairobi’s three main rivers — Ngong, Nairobi, and Mathare. That number is both thrilling and sobering. It means jobs, yes; it also means we must be honest about safety, fair pay, and what happens when the cameras leave but the plastic returns.
For ETCO, the river is inseparable from unemployment. A young person with a wage and a purpose is less likely to look at the bank as a dumping ground. If you are a funder, a trainer, or a neighbour with time, walk with us — not to romanticise the work, but to help it stay human at the size it needs to become.
Project Site Visit by Rotary Club of IPSWICH (USA) and Kikuyu (Kenya)
It was a great and engaging day of partnership and learning as we hosted the International Rotary Club of IPSWICH team, led by Environmental Lawyer Chris and his wife, Jane, Former President of Rotary Club of Kikuyu Hon. George Ngotho and Rotarian Yumbya for a visit to our project implementation sites. The visit provided an opportunity to review the project areas on the ground, discuss implementation priorities, and strengthen our shared commitment to sustainable environmental and community development. We also had the opportunity to visit the Nairobi Rivers Commission (NRC), where we were hosted by Commissioner Dr. Loice Kipkorir, a member of the Ngong River Committee. We explored opportunities to strengthen collaboration and align our work with the Nairobi Rivers Commission's Restoration Framework.
Community Capacity Building Training
We are currently participating in the ongoing PROVE (Public Space Governance Research, Observation, Validation and Experimentation) Pilot Programme, a four-month initiative by Public Space Networks (PSN) bringing together 11 community groups from Kamukunji and Korogocho. The programme focuses on strengthening community organizations’ capacity to manage, protect and improve public spaces as well as restoring rivers and it's ecosystems. The ongoing capacity-building training is helping CBOs and community organizations better understand the connection between public spaces, river restoration and ecosystem conservation, while exploring practical approaches and stronger collaboration among communities, government agencies, development partners and other stakeholders.
High Level NRC & Development Partners Meeting
Representing the Ngong River Regeneration Network, I'm having the privilege of attending a high-level breakfast meeting convened by the Nairobi Rivers Commission (NRC) in collaboration with the Kenya Permanent Mission to UN-Habitat. The meeting has brought together Development Partners, Government Agencies, Private Sector representatives, and Community representatives to deliberate on the restoration and sustainable management of Nairobi’s rivers.