Community Engagement and Clean Up - Ngong Rivers
On 20 November 2023, gumboots won the fashion vote along the Ngong River — mud climbing ankles, rake teeth biting plastic, someone laughing because the alternative was crying.
ETCO worked alongside Power Engineers, Ecologists Without Borders (EcoWB), the German Embassy through UN‑Habitat, the Nairobi Rivers Commission, local groups, and Nairobi Governor’s “Green Army.” Chiefs showed up — Madam Elizabeth led three chiefs — alongside the Assistant County Commissioner, putting administrative weight behind community sweat.
What we moved
Three hundred and twenty people were sensitised; one hundred and five joined the clean‑up hands‑on. Two hundred and fifty metres of riverbank were cleared. The scales told the blunt story: 3.4 tonnes of wet waste and 0.23 tonnes of dry waste — bags dragged uphill, flies defeated temporarily, dignity restored a little.
Drainage is not glamorous policy; it is whether your child can walk to school without wading through filth. Conversations like this matter because they connect symptoms — flooding, smell, disease — to systems that can change.
The Green Army’s presence mattered — not as spectacle, but as proof that city leadership can show up beside residents instead of only speaking about them.
When the bags were counted and the bank looked steeper, nobody pretended the river was “fixed.” We simply left clearer than we found — and more awake to what must come next.
We are grateful to everyone who came and to those who cheered from afar. Rivers need repeat visitors, not one‑day heroes. Stay close for the next outing — #LetTheRiversFlow — and help us keep partners at the table.
Engaging Children through Feeding Program
Thanks to Chris and Jayne, ETCO had a warm feeding program for children at our new office—bringing joy, a good meal, and community together in Kibera.
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.