Dagoretti North MP Beatrice Elachi has challenged Nairobians to embrace home gardens despite space challenges.
Elachi said this will give residents access to safe vegetables and fruits amid concerns of the highly populated Nairobi river.
“When you pollute Nairobi river, you have polluted the bigger Athi river, which people use to plant. That is where you are getting your vegetables and fruits,” she said.
“Why do we have cancer? These are some of the challenges that we find when we pollute our rivers. If you allow industries to pour all the chemicals into the rivers, the way we have done, then we will find ourselves clogging with different chronic diseases,” she added.
Kitchen gardens have been proven as one of the easiest and fastest ways households can ensure inexpensive, regular and handy supply of fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices.
Experts have argued that well-planned kitchen gardens can also guarantee households access to a healthy diet that contains adequate macro and micronutrients as many different kinds of foods can be produced.
The MP has further called on those residing in informal settlements to embrace the culture of planting trees at this time, when the impact of climate change is being felt across the world.
Elachi said women are willing to partner with the Ministry of Environment to start planting trees.
She said there is a plan to have a programme to teach children in schools within Nairobi the topic of climate change and why tree planting is important.
“…..even if you are living in an informal settlement. The first thing you must ask yourself is how do I ensure that there's at least a tree where I live,” Elachi said.
