Kenyans showed up for a cleaning exercise of the Nairobi River in celebration of Wangari Maathai Day, on Wednesday 3, 2021.
The exercise which was led by Cabinet Secretary for Environment Keriako Tobiko saw Kenyans clean Nairobi River at Michuki Memorial Park, plant indigenous trees at the park, mulch previously planted trees and demonstrate the 3R’s of waste management - Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.
Photos seen by Kenyans.co.ke show Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers and environment enthusiasts picking and carrying dirt from the Nairobi River.
On a statement issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry on social media platforms, the ministry said that they had planted indigenous to celebrate the Kenyan heroine.
“Trees are vital. As the biggest plants on the planet, they give oxygen, store carbon, stabilise the soil and give life to the world’s wildlife. They also provide us with the materials for tools and shelter. To celebrate Wangari Maathai day and the Africa Environment Day we have planted indigenous trees to celebrate our environmental heroine,” the statement read.
The 2004 Nobel Prize winner has been celebrated all over the world for contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace. On February 7, Belgium shortlisted Maathai in a list of women in which the country is considering renaming the country’s longest tunnel after.
The tunnel bore the statue of King Leopold II. It was pulled down during the black lives matter protest in 2020.
Wangari founded the Green Belt Movement which rallies women in Kenya to combat deforestation.
In November 2018, France named an elementary school in Aubervilliers area, Paris in her honour. The school is named Ecole Wangari Maathai.
In the United States, US, Wangari is honoured by her alma mater The Benedictine College. The college created a statue of her. She was part of the 1964 class of the college.
In Kenya, Wangari Maathai has been honoured by the government and also by different organizations with the most outstanding one being the renaming of Forest Road to Prof. Wangari Maathai Road.
