Nairobi County Pushes for Greener Schools Through Environmental Clubs

In a bid to bolster environmental stewardship among young learners, KEPSA Foundation and ChildFund officially planted over 100 moringa trees at St. Dominic Primary School in Mwiki, Nairobi, on May 28, 2024. The tree-planting drive is part of the wider Re-Greening Africa initiative that aims to mobilise environmental clubs across schools in the Nairobi Metropolitan region. School environmental club members, teachers and local community volunteers took part in yesterday’s event, which positions the school’s grounds as a learning space for climate-resilience, income-generation and hands-on conservation.
This event reflects a series of campaigns by Nairobi County to integrate sustainability into the education sector. Just previously, at Mutuini Primary School the county planted 2,500 tree seedlings during a school-wildlife club programme on October 18, 2024.Meanwhile, environmental clubs have been established or strengthened in numerous schools, engaging students in activities like tree care, waste-management and agro-gardening. The county has underscored that learners should become active green ambassadors , equipped with skills that go beyond textbooks and into climate action and ecological innovation.
Educators and club coordinators say the programmes are already shifting attitudes in Nairobi’s classrooms. At St. Dominic, pupils now meet weekly to water saplings, map growth progress and plan awareness campaigns in their neighbourhoods—teachers report improved interest in science and nature among students. Parents also applauded the shift, noting that the tree-planting project adds value to the school’s surroundings and has the potential to teach children about sustainability and entrepreneurship through fruit-tree yields. However, some environmental-education advocates caution that scaling this work across informal-settlement schools will require more consistent funding and infrastructure support.
Looking ahead, Nairobi County plans to roll the programme out to 20 additional schools by the end of 2025, expanding tree nurseries, eco-club training and community outreach across all 17 sub-counties. The aim is that, by 2027, participating schools will generate income from fruit orchards, improve school nutrition gardens and serve as climate-resilient hubs in their communities. If executed fully, this initiative could become a national model for linking school education with environmental sustainability in Kenya’s urban settings.