This archive report was first published on 26 June 2021.
June 26, 2021, marked a turning point for Monica Waithera, a 31-year-old civil servant and mother of three from Nanyuki's Baraka Trading Centre. She had just injected Sh300,000 into her garbage recycling business, but the funds went to waste after President Uhuru Kenyatta locked down the country to prevent Covid-19 contagion.
Waithera, who relies on tourists for her business, was devastated when the lockdown left her with no clients. She had to pay rent from her pocket for nine months and even considered giving up.
However, Waithera's passion for environment conservation kept her going. She shifted her focus to working from home, using social media to market her products. Her house décor products, made from recycled bottles, tattered clothes, and beverage cans, range between Sh500 to Sh2500.
Laikipia National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) County Director Jackson Muturo commended Waithera's initiative, saying that the authority has developed a programme to conserve the environment tailored down to county level.
“We have significant programmes on solid waste management and pollution control. We are implementing the national solid waste management strategy, enforcing the regulations on solid waste and supporting the county governments to establish proper waste management infrastructure,” Muturo noted.
Waithera's business is a testament to the impact one person can have on the environment. As she puts it, “People find this as trash but in my viewpoint, it is a treasure.”
