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By Boniface Mulu
Kitui County, Kenya: The community of Kwa Vonza Market in Kitui County’s Lower Yatta District marked the 17th World Cleanup Day with a clean-up exercise, championed largely by local schoolchildren.
The event, held on Thursday, October 9, 2025, was organized by a coalition of environmental and community groups, including the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), Kenya Forest Service (KFS), and the Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA), among others.
The chief guest, NEMA Kitui County Director Catherine Atieno Adwong’a, highlighted the economic potential of waste. “The waste sector is a sector with good opportunities. Venturing into waste collection is a way of getting money. Waste is not waste; it is a very important thing,” she said, adding that NEMA’s government consultancies are offered for free.
The cleanup was complemented by a tree-planting activity at the Kwa Vonza District Officer’s compound, featuring seedlings donated by KEFRI.
Addressing the gathering, Assistant Kitui County Forest Conservator Jacob Kongo emphasized the fundamental role of trees. “We can’t talk of the environment without the trees. We can’t talk of climate change without the trees,” he stated. He urged everyone to grow and conserve trees to combat climate change and educated attendees on various species, noting the resilience of the exotic Senna siamea to drought conditions. Kongo also warned of the dangers plastics pose to both humans and animals, and praised the Kitui Teachers Training College for its leadership in environmental conservation.
Pius Matieka, a KEFRI official, reinforced the institute’s commitment to supporting these efforts. “We offer free training to farmers, groups, and community members. And we also give them the tree seedlings for free,” he said. “Trees are the suckers of carbon from the air, and that is why we give them to people for free.”
Other officials who addressed the occasion included the Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA) Kitui Regional Project Manager, David Kitheka.
Globally, World Cleanup Day was observed on September 20, 2025, under the theme “Tackling textile and fashion waste.”
