A river flows between the two ridges of Kameno and Makuyu in Kenya. The valley is called the valley of life and the river is called Honia, or “cure.” It never dries and is the soul of the two ridges. Joyce Nyawira is a recipient of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s seminal work; “The River Between” having been raised in the village of Makuyu. Humble beginnings classify her life with her father as a peasant farmer, and her mother as a staunch believer and a small business owner(Kibanda), she had nothing but her books to explore the world. This is a story of hope in the face of adversity of this young girl from the village. In her formative years, her parents struggled to make ends meet, but this didn’t deter her from doing her best in school since she believed that one day her efforts would be acknowledged and she would become a star. A conviction that came true after passing highly in her KCPE exams. This was a moment of uncertainty since she was unsure where her school fees for the national school she was invited to would come. In the blink of all those thoughts, she received a call that would forever change the trajectory of her life. She was informed that she was one of the two candidates from Murang’a County who had gotten a full scholarship with the Mpesa Foundation Academy. This was an answered prayer while at the same time, the news seemed surreal.
Mpesa Foundation Academy marked a new journey for this village girl and opened up a world of impossibilities since her high school admission in 2016 till date. She dared to dream big and was courageous enough to share her big dream of becoming the future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Kenya one day, before the fourth president of Kenya; Uhuru Kenyatta. This made her famous among her fellow students who used to call her Madam Chief Justice (CJ) from then henceforth. Five years down the line, she is pursuing her Bachelor of Laws at Strathmore University making her dreams closer to reality.
Driven by the values acquired through her rigorous training at Mpesa Foundation Academy, Joyce always seeks to be a transformational leader as envisioned by the founding fathers of the academy. In line with her legal field, after studying International Environmental Law and Policy she realized there is a triple planetary crisis, especially with climate change. As a thinker, doer, and leader, she decided to walk the talk by saving the environment through her small ways. At the beginning of the year, she founded the GreenWorld Tree Nursery which is a youth-based initiative that seeks to empower youths, especially from the underserved communities of Kibra and Soweto. Based on her farming background, the nursery is predominantly a fruit tree nursery that offers quality “hass avocadoes” among other varieties of fruits and indigenous trees. As quoted by one of the Regional magazines, “Many people want to plant trees that benefit them and fruit trees are the way to go because there is a need for food security in addition to conserving the environment.” For instance, after planting the quality grafted, avocados one is assured that within two to three years, they can get the fruits, because they are modified, and can even stay in harsh conditions. Therefore, more people are encouraged to plant such a tree because they will benefit from it. This indirectly preserves the environment and at the same time, combats food insecurity.” Joyce Nyawira.
As a proud alumnus of the Mpesa Foundation Academy Alumni Association (MFAAA), she was delighted to reach out to them for corporate partnerships to make the Mazingira Day a success together with other organizations such as the GreenWorld Tree Nursery, Rotaract Club of Nairobi Central and Momentum Credits. With the collaborative efforts from the different stakeholders, over 700 trees were planted on that day in Nairobi School, making Mazingira Day a resounding success. Together, we continue the fight—rooting for a greener tomorrow! Since the future starts with us today. Having executed the event successfully as the main convenor of the event, the young girl from the village was fired up to keep pushing and advocating for a greener future where every breath of air is cleaner, every landscape is greener, and every community thrives. She also seeks to specialize in climate justice since it is an upcoming legal field based on her knowledge and interaction with the community, which grants her a practical edge. Going back to her roots in Makuyu, the village girl will ensure that river Honia will never run dry through her advocacy for nature rights.
Mazingira Day effort aims to leave long-term positive impact on Nairobi
