One tree a day: Student’s idea grows into global inspiration

When Dedie Mwenda was asked how he would respond to the escalating threats facing the planet, his answer was simple: plant a tree seedling every day.

That commitment, first made while he was a student at Maseno School, has grown into a consistent personal mission shaped by family influence and early exposure to environmental stewardship.

 Mwenda said his father’s work in a tree nursery played a key role in shaping his outlook.

 “My dad has been nurturing tree seedlings in his nursery, and he is the source of inspiration,” he said.

 Now 18, Mwenda traces his environmental consciousness back to childhood. He says his connection to nature developed early and was reinforced throughout his schooling.

 While at Maseno School, he served as environmental captain, a role he used to helped coordinate tree-planting and waste management initiatives within and beyond the school.

 He has already planted hundreds of trees, describing the act as both routine and responsibility rather than symbolism.

 Mwenda scored an A in the KCSE exam and now intends to pursue Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, with a stated interest in applying technology to environmental challenges.

 “I would want to use modern technologies to address some of the challenges facing the planet,” he said.

 His work has since attracted the attention of environmental experts, including through enrolment in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) youth mentorship programme, which supports young people engaged in climate action and sustainability initiatives.

 UNEP’s youth-focused programmes, including its Youth and Education Alliance, aim to strengthen environmental awareness and integrate young people into decision-making processes on global ecological challenges.

 The organisation has increasingly positioned youth participation as central to addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

 Mwenda’s initiative was highlighted during a recent sensitisation conference in Gigiri on the obligations of states in relation to climate change.

 Philip Osano, chief operating officer at the Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), described Mwenda’s efforts as exemplary.

 He said he was struck by the student’s commitment during a school engagement.

 Osano, an alumnus of Maseno School, said Mwenda’s idea of planting a seedling daily stood out as both practical and scalable.

 “He said he would take a seedling to school and plant it each day,” Osano said.

 He has since taken on a mentorship role for Mwenda, framing it as part of a broader cycle of guidance and intergenerational support.

 Osano also urged young people to align their ideas with national and continental climate goals, including Kenya’s target of growing 15 billion trees by 2032.

 The initiative forms part of the African Landscape Restoration drive aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, halting deforestation and restoring degraded land.

 The Gigiri conference brought together government officials, regional bodies, international legal experts and civil society actors to discuss African-led responses to climate change.

 The discussions were influenced by a recent advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, which reaffirmed that states carry binding obligations to protect the climate system and may be held accountable for climate-related harm.

 Within that wider policy and legal context, Mwenda’s story stands as a reminder that climate action is increasingly being shaped not only in courtrooms and conference halls, but also in classrooms and through consistent individual actions.