Mohamud Hussein from Garissa has embarked on a programme aimed at transforming the invasive mathenge (prosopis juliflora) into economic opportunities.
The shrub was introduced to Kenya in the 1970s to control desertification, provide firewood and shade for livestock and reduce soil erosion.
However, it spread rapidly and extensively, causing problems for local communities.
In Garissa county, mathenge now covers nearly 25 per cent of the land surface, degrading pasturelands and displacing native vegetation.
In an interview with the Star, Hussein noted that his United People Global Sustainability Leadership programme involves the transformation of waste from the cleared mathenge plant into clean, smokeless, carbon-neutral briquettes for use in schools and households.
“My vision is a climate-resilient, energy-secure and environmentally restored Garissa county, where schools cook with clean energy, communities thrive economically, and the environment is regenerated,” Hussein said.
This thorny shrub, he noted, is unpopular with the pastoralist community due to its detrimental effects on livestock and local ecosystems.
Clearing mathenge leaves behind biomass waste that poses disposal challenges and risks further environmental degradation if left unmanaged.
The county government has welcomed his ideas and is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding.
The UPG programme offers comprehensive, fully-funded training designed to equip young leaders with the skills and knowledge to drive positive change in their communities.
The project, Hussein noted, aims to eliminate the invasive mathenge and replace it with Gliricidia sepium, a fast-growing, nitrogen-fixing tree that improves soil health and provides nutritious fodder for livestock – benefiting pastoralists and restoring degraded rangelands.
Launched in 2019, the programme has trained over 2,700 young leaders from more than 100 countries.
The programme emphasises a holistic approach to sustainability, encompassing environmental concerns like climate action and biodiversity, as well as social issues such as education, health and gender equality, aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Hussein, along with other selected participants from across the globe, is expected to visit the Hurricane Island Centre for Science and Leadership in the USA in a fully funded one-week trip focusing on leadership development and project advancement.
The programme also involved comprehensive 9-week virtual training covering various aspects of sustainability and leadership, with graduates committing to implement personal projects that support at least one SDG within their local communities.
Former Environment CS Aden Duale, now CS Health, had in February promised to take a memo to the Cabinet on measures being undertaken by his ministry to eradicate the mathenge tree.
Duale said it was regrettable that 45 years later, the tree has caused untold suffering to residents and livestock and destroyed the environment.
“This tree has led to loss of grazing and croplands, directly affecting livestock and crop farmers. It is even a threat to our security teams because even criminals hide under the mathenge trees as they wait to waylay pedestrians. Above all, it’s a big threat to climate change,” Duale said.
