Hon. Soipan Tuya, CS Ministry of Environment, Climate Change & Forestry presides over the World Desertification and Droughts Day commemoration at St. Paul’s Secondary School, Waita in Mwingi, Kitui County. The CS is accompanied by her counterpart in Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage Hon. Peninnah Malonza, and PS for Environment and Climate Change Eng. Festus K Ng’eno. Prof. Julius Tanui, the CEO of Kenya Water Towers Agency, leads a team of officers from the Agency. The Agency donated a 10,000-litre water harvesting tank to the host school. Also present is SMACHS CEO, Ms. Charlene Ruto who donated ten beehives to a women’s group in the area.
World Desertification and Drought Day is an international day set aside by the UN General Assembly in December 1994 to create awareness and develop measures to combat the menace. The theme of this year is “Her Land. Her Rights”. This is aimed at championing the rights of women in society regarding land ownership. “Women have not been able to fully advocate climate change issues because of the limited rights to land ownership in Kenya. This has hindered their participation in land restoration and conservation,” Hon. Soipan Tuya said.
