Site Visit, Meetings, Sensitization and Clean Up - Ngong River
Soweto East in Nyayo Highrise Ward smelled of river-mud and ambition — the kind of morning where international visitors step carefully on paths locals navigate blind. ETCO hosted a joint awareness and cleanup with partners who brought expertise and left with stories: Power Engineers’ Don Stuartuvent, Erik Nquist, and Gino; Ecologists Without Borders’ Cleve Stuart; Nairobi Rivers Commission’s Rebecca Bor; Kounkey Designs Initiative’s Ibrahim and team; PAKPRO’s Melissa Kasaba; Nairobi County’s Assistant County Commissioner Rodrick Cheruiyot, District County Commissioner Eliud Waweru Ngung’u, area chiefs Isaac and Kennedy; and the office of MCA representative Moses Oyoo — alongside Zone 2 stakeholders and residents who did the heaviest lifting.
Speakers did not sugar-coat. Solid waste badly managed in Kibera does not stay in Kibera — it slips toward loss of life and property downstream. Between words, people picked plastic, pulled debris, and proved that “Let The Rivers Flow” is labour, not a slogan.
What the day moved
Eighty-seven participants joined the cleanup; two hundred and ten community members received sensitisation. One hundred and fifty metres of riverbank were cleared; 3.2 tonnes of wet waste came out — weight you can feel in your shoulders when bags tear and volunteers improvise.
We are proud of the partnerships and hungry for the next honest step: consistent collection, fair support for youth on the line, and plans that listen to people who sleep closest to the water. Partner with Zone 2 — fund a tool, join a Saturday, or tell the truth about waste where you live.
From Participation to Agency: ETCO at the SAIIA Youth Programming Innovation Lab
Last week, ETCO represented Kibra at the SAIIA Youth Programming Innovation Lab in Nairobi — where the real question wasn't youth participation, but youth agency. Here's what that means for our nine programmes, and an honest look at what it takes to build sustainably as a volunteer-run organisation.
Creating Impact, Building a Better Tomorrow
At ETCO, we're committed to creating lasting positive impact by keeping our environment safe and clean while creating meaningful employment opportunities for our communities. Through innovation and strategic partnerships with like-minded stakeholders, we're working together to achieve shared goals that drive sustainable development. We're also conducting a comprehensive economic survey to better understand the project's returns, impact, and scalability—ensuring every step we take is informed, effective, and built for long-term success.
Planning Meeting with PSN - Waste Management Project
Today's ETCO had logistical planning meeting at PSN Office to discuss the upcoming waste management project... Good things take time.