On 1st April 2025, KEPSA Foundation established an orchard and a vegetable seedling nursery at Ikuu Boys High School in Tharaka Nithi County. This was part of the Foundation’s Community Climate Action initiative, which focuses on tree planting as a strategic approach. The activity was carried out through a partnership with ChildFund and Dow Chemical under the Building Learning Opportunities through Orchard Management in Schools program. Over 500 trees were planted, including 250 avocado trees and 250 indigenous and exotic trees.
KEPSA Foundation team was led by Executive Director, Ms. Gloria Ndekei, while Ikuu Boys High School was led by the School Principal, Mr. Morris Thigaa, and Board of Management Chairman Dr. Mugambi Kanga. Other key stakeholders included Tharaka Nithi County Director for Education Ms. Bridget Wambua, Deputy County Commissioner Ms. Angela Wanyama, Ikuu Boys Alumni Chairman Dr. Jafford Rithaa, National Drought Management Authority Representative Mr. Kiragu Kariuki, Kenya Forest Services Representative Mr. Geoffrey Kiprono, Chiefs and community members.
During the stakeholders’ meeting, Ms. Ndekei highlighted the Foundation’s priority areas, presenting a compelling business case for the importance of investing in proper nutrition practices at all levels. She underscored the critical role of enhancing learners’ nutrition for overall human growth and development. Additionally, Ms. Ndekei highlighted opportunities to drive nutrition and economic empowerment by exploring the avocado oil extraction and processing value chain within schools, leveraging successful orchards. She further emphasized the growing trend of community and school interdependence for food security, suggesting that the vast lands of schools could be utilized not only to nourish students but also to provide a source of food for the surrounding community.
Ms. Ndekei also spoke about the partnership with the Chandaria Foundation, MaMa Doing Good, and the Global Peace Foundation in establishing tree seedling nurseries in schools. She highlighted the growing need to scale up this initiative by incorporating vegetable gardening. To support this effort, Ms. Ndekei donated vegetable seeds to help establish the school’s vegetable nursery. She expressed her gratitude to all the stakeholders and commended the invaluable partnership that has been crucial to the success of this initiative.
The School Principal, Mr. Morris Thigaa, expressed his gratitude to KEPSA Foundation for selecting Ikuu Boys High School for the tree planting initiative and for establishing an orchard. He mentioned that the school community is committed to nurturing the avocado trees, viewing this as an opportunity to increase the school’s income, savings, and nutrition for the students, as well as to create a fund to support needy students. The Environment Club patron, Mr. Fredrick Mati, highlighted that the club was established at the school in 2025, drawing inspiration from lessons he learned while teaching in other arid areas of the country. He explained that through this club, students will be equipped with the skills necessary for environmental stewardship, thereby promoting sustainability goals for future generations. Mr. Mati mentioned that the club is committed to creating a greener school environment and has already initiated mango grafting and beekeeping projects, along with other planned initiatives.
The County Director for Education, Ms. Baridget Wambua, emphasized the tree-planting activity as a crucial step toward achieving the government’s goal of planting 15 billion trees across the country. She encouraged the students and participants to continue planting trees, ensuring that the initiative extends to homes as well. Ms. Wambua also stressed the importance of expanding greening efforts within the county, highlighting the significant health benefits as a compelling reason for further action.
Deputy County Commissioner Ms. Angela Wanyama also emphasized the vital role of trees as sources of shade, food, and medicinal value. She encouraged everyone to keep planting trees in support of the goal to achieve a 10% tree cover target.
Ikuu Boys Alumni Chairman and Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Studies and Resource Development at Chuka University, Dr. Jafford Rithaa, highlighted the importance of embracing and practising nature-based solutions, such as tree planting, to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change.
