Validation of the NRC 2023 - 2024 Strategic Plan
City Hall energy is different from riverbank energy — air conditioning, name tags, the low hum of microphones. Sponsored by Act Change Transform (ACT), the Nairobi Rivers Commission gathered stakeholders to validate its 2023–2027 strategic plan, line by line, ambition by risk.
ETCO sat among them: CEO Collince Onyango and Environmental Director Raphael Oduor, carrying Kibera's stories into a room where waste management, riparian land, and fundraising sound like agenda items — because they are, and because someone must speak for the people who cannot take a day off to attend.
Validation sounds bureaucratic until you remember what is at stake: a plan that either becomes noise in a drawer, or turns into trucks, bylaws, and rivers you can touch without flinching.
Where ETCO fits
The commission's focus — waste, resource mobilisation, safe rivers for domestic use — mirrors our daily grind. PS Teresia Mbaika (Devolution), Chair Dr Pamella Olet, Vice-Chair Prof Elijah Biamah, Commissioners, and CEO Brig. Joseph Muracia framed the day; private firms, government desks, and community groups leaned in.
Each organisation was nudged to anchor at least two programmes to the NRC's goals. For us, children and solid waste are not separate silos — they are the same fight on different days.
The meeting closed with clarity and homework: prove consistency — show up in data, on rivers, and in community meetings until Nairobi believes the rivers can run clean again. We signed up for that homework. Walk with us when the next public session opens; your voice belongs in that room too.
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.