Aaron Nanok was named the Kenyan United Nations (UN) Person of the Year 2022 at the UNEP headquarters in Gigiri, Nairobi.
In the announcement on Monday, October 24, the UN announced Nanok as the winner of the award owing to his contributions toward solving the food crises in the country.
"Aaron Nanok - an Agronomist from Turkana County named as the UN in Kenya Person of the Year Award winner 2022 for his commitment to sustainable agriculture," the organisation wrote.
In his acceptance speech, he thanked the World Food Programme (WPF-Kenya) as well as the county government of Turkana for empowering him to turn his idea into a workable solution.
"Thank you WFP for nominating me for this award. I would like to thank my employer for giving me the opportunity that other youths yearn to make the lives of other people better," Nanok stated.
The agronomist reiterated his call to the President William Ruto's government to guarantee food security in the country.
"We can only be food and nutrition secure if we make our agri-food systems resilient and include food not only as a human right, a common and public good," he stated
Nanok currently serves in the Agri-Nutrition Unit in Turkana County. Governor Jeremiah Lomurkai was among those present in the award ceremony.
The Nation Environment Management Authority (Nema) was also feted during the event for their contribution towards conservation.
"NEMA was awarded in recognition of her effort in promoting and safeguarding the environment in Kenya and vehemently working towards enforcement of plastic bags ban.
"The ban on plastic carrier bags was a key player in working towards the historic plastic resolution adopted by UN members states in March 2022 and was hailed as the biggest moment for the environment since the Paris Agreement." the organisation announced.
Former recipients of the award include renowned primary school teacher Peter Tabichi, Martin King'asia Food for Education founder Wawira Njiru.
