Meet the Winners of the Climate Action Awards East Africa

Winners for the 2021 Climate Action Awards East Africa—a competition that shines a spotlight on people/organizations with groundbreaking innovations and ideas to to mitigate the effects of climate change.

07 Oct, 2021 Announcement 174

ICPAC is pleased to announce the winners for the 2021 Climate Action Awards East Africa—a competition that shines a spotlight on people/organizations with groundbreaking innovations and ideas to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The full list of winners is as follows:

Youth for Climate Category - Charles Kinyua & Joseph Nguthiru, Kenya

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Charles and Joseph are students at Egerton University, Kenya who have engaged in revolutionary ideas including converting weeds like hyacinth into biodegradable plates to replace single-use plastics. The duo planted over 2600 seedlings with no budget.

Their most innovative idea, however, was creating a biodegradable container to hold seedling which eliminates the use of plastics currently used to store seedlings. Watch their submission

Second place in this category went to Ghaamid Abdulbasat founder the Tanzanian Youth Biodiversity Network and an East African Earth Champion; while third place was awarded to Kyeba Moses, an architecture student at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya.

Youth for Climate Category (Under 21 Category) - Rahmina Paulette, Kenya

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At only 15, Rahmina is leading the campaign for climate action and awareness through tree planting activities which she begun at the age of 5. She plants an average of 3,000 trees a year.

In addition, she has created a mobile game to help young people to get a better understanding about environmental conservation. See her submission.

Ndung’u Bernard emerged as the runner-up in this category for his documentary on climate impacts in Nakuru, a city in west-central Kenya.

Climate Neutral Now - Helina Teklu, Ethiopia

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Helina’s submission, titled seed bomb Ethiopia, is a brilliant way of regenerating vegetation, particularly in areas that are difficult to access.

Seed bombs are marble-sized balls of made of clay, earth, humus or compost, and seeds. The technique introduces vegetation by dropping seed on the ground through the use of seed balls. Furthermore, Helina has been training women in Ethiopia on this technology,  see submission.

Second place in this category was awarded to Nabaasa Innocent from Africa Tourism and Environmental Initiative in Uganda, while third place awarded to Del Agua Group, for their work promoting the use of energy efficient cookstoves in Rwanda.

In addition to the winners, ICPAC recognizes 3ES Experience and  Patrick Oluoch for their work in providing solution for Net Zero for the region. 

Financing for Net Zero - Carbon Tanzania

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In this category, ICPAC recognized organizations in the region that are engaging in projects that empower local communities while at the same time practicing sustainable natural resource management. The approach used is through the REDD framework. Learn more about Carbon Tanzania.

Additionally, ICPAC also recognizes Wildlife Works and Theunis Coetzee from Nile Breweries in Uganda who are both financing local communities in activities related to adaptation and mitigation.

Women for results - Helina Teklu, Ethiopia

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Helina’s seed bomb initiative is training women in Ethiopia to engage in re-forestation activities as well as in using the technology for food security.

The second and third winners in this category were both journalists covering stories on climate change and its impact on women; they were Linah Mwamachi and Linda Omondi respectively.

Media for Climate (Video) - Mollen Kenyena, Uganda

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Mollen, a TV personality from Uganda, is visualizing the climate change stories on the ground. She regularly shares online clips from her TV segment of a show dubbed ‘Weather and Nature’ that airs for 15 minutes every morning Monday to Friday on national broadcaster Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC).

The show is dedicated to climate change communication; relating basic weather and climate knowledge, trending stories on weather both national and global and everything nature. See her submission.

Second place in this category went to Kimari Hezron, a journalist with Standard Group (KTN News) responsible for reporting weather and climate change issues in the Kenyan Coast.

South Sudanese journalist Maura Ajak, clinched the third spot.

Media for Climate (Radio) - Linah Mwamachi, Kenya

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Linah is a journalist from Taita Taveta County in Kenya. She submitted a number of stories, one that stood out was on climate related impacts on women and elderly people. It touched on agroforestry as a means of income generation as well as forest conservation. The story also explored issues of human-wildlife conflicts and the struggle for resources. See her submission.

Second in this category was Mercie Tyra, from Kakuma, Turkana County in northern Kenya.

In third place was Linda Omondi who is also a journalist from Taita Taveta in Kenya.

Media for Climate (Print) - Solomon Muingi, Kenya

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Solomon is a journalist based in Taita Taveta County, Kenya, who submitted several articles detailing the climate issues in the county and various ways that local communities are employing to become food secure.

He described the issues affecting fisherfolk and showed best practices being practiced by local communities to build resilience. Read his submission.

Second place in this category was Ruth Keah while Mhindi Joseph  from Dodoma Tanzania came in third.

Media for Climate (Creative arts)

ICPAC recognizes Lawrence Ochieng for his song submission that expressed the potential for the creative arts to engage in climate activism.

We also recognize Dwayne Meshack Ogweno from Kenya, an environmentalist and a poet and also the organizer for Ukunda Vocational Training Center Wildlife and Environment Club for submitting a poem.

Honorary Recognitions

In addition to the winners in the above categories, ICPAC recognizes Kenya’s electricity producer KENGEN for leading the region in clean energy production. So far, KenGen has developed and has registered Six (6) Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

Lastly, ICPAC also recognizes telecommunications service provider Safaricom Kenya who through their Carbon Trust initiative is taking a strategic approach towards net zero.

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Tags: East Africa , Climate Action , Climate Action Awards , Climate Change , Earth Champions