Mandera County eyes top climate change award in the Netherlands

Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Friday flagged off the Mandera Green Future Initiative team, led by Governor Mohamed Khalif, who were invited to attend an award ceremony in the Netherlands.

The Mandera Municipality Greening Programme, which changed the landscape of the municipality from a dusty town to a lush, green hub, joined the list of the finalists for the Living Green for Climate Change category along with The URBAN GreenUP of Liverpool City and Green Factor Tool of Melbourne, all competing for a grand winner’s award.

"Mandera Municipality has been shortlisted for the prestigious Association of International Planter and Horticulture (AIPH) World Green City Awards 2024 as the sole finalist from East and Central Africa among 21 global cities," said Duale.

The Cabinet secretary stated that he engaged the team in a discussion to expand partnership on the initiative that he said plays a key role in the government's mission to reclaim arid and semi-arid lands which cover 70 per cent of Kenya's landscape.

Duale also emphasised on the need to train and recruit more personnel from Mandera in the Kenya Forest Service to support the government's goal of planting 15 billion trees.

The Mandera governor, who was accompanied by senior county officials, expressed hopes of scoping the grand winner award for the project that he said has transformed the semi-arid landscape.

Mandera residents planting trees during a past the municipality greening project event. (Photo: Issa Hussein)

The Mandera County Executive for the Lands and Urban Planning Salah Maalim Alio, who is part of the governor's delegation, told The Eastleigh Voice that the award ceremony will be held on September 25 at the Future Green City World Congress in Utrecht, Netherlands.

He said all the 21 finalists who stand a chance of being selected as category winners were invited to the awards ceremony.

The county executive said the project that earned global attention was designed by the municipality to tackle climate challenges and socio-economic issues through tree planting and critical water infrastructure to improve both the town’s environment and the livelihoods of the community.

Salah revealed that the programme engaged over 1,300 women and youths, who receive monthly stipends, as well as indigenous communities and youth groups.