Week 8 - Damaris Mungai's Visit
Some Saturdays blur together — pots, queues, the same welcome — but this one arrived with cake, handshakes, and a circle of visitors who did not come to lecture. Mrs. Damaris Mungai, an officer with UNEP, chose her birthday to sit with us in Kibera, alongside friends and relatives who carried gifts instead of cameras only.
Antony, Nahashon, Tito, Soila, Nash, and others pulled up chairs close enough for children to ask real questions. Kenyan Paralympian Henry Wanyoike spoke from experience — not theory — about discipline, setback, and showing up again after a hard day. The room leaned in. You could hear the shift when a teenager realized the conversation was not about “motivation” in the abstract, but about choices on ordinary mornings.
Partners walking the same soil
Tony Machacha and Chris joined from Ecologists Without Borders — EcoWB — for conversations that belong in a settlement pressed between rivers and rooftops: waste, water, and how small habits at home ripple outward. Monika, founder of Kibera Creative Arts (KiCA), travelled from Germany to talk about practical next steps — how creative skills can open doors if young people get honest mentorship and stage time.
Our own Peter Waweru — Virusi Mbaya — had the children on their feet, clapping in time. In quieter moments, young people spoke openly about stress that adults sometimes dismiss. We believe naming that weight matters; a safe conversation can be its own kind of relief. Mrs. Damaris’s children set a quiet example, donating some of their best clothes and small items — generosity without performance.
We ended with a short tour, EcoWB’s partnership in mind — showing where environmental strain meets daily life. If you partner with organisations that respect local leadership, fund practical programmes, or simply show up with time and truth, you are part of days like this one.
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.