The KenGen Foundation, Better Globe Forestry Ltd and Bamburi Cement Ltd today signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the second phase of the Green Initiative Challenge (GIC) Program, a schools afforestation project that targets schools in Embu, Machakos and Kitui counties.

The program is a KenGen Foundation project designed to encourage and enable schools to participate in environmental activities by developing small forests and woodlots within their compounds for multiple benefits.

Under the Kshs. 120 Million MoU, the Green Initiative Challenge is scaling up to a 10-year programme with 2 phases to include an additional 120 schools annually from Mbeere South, Mbeere North, Masinga and Kitui Sub-Counties. The target is to plant a total of 460 acres with 300,000 commercial and wood fuel trees and 113,956 fruits trees in 919 new schools over that period.

The trial project which kicked off two years ago enlisted 81 schools, already boasting of enviable growing small forests and woodlots which are slowly changing the schools compound environment. The schools which develop the best woodlots will win competitive prizes including cash awards, water tanks, rain water harvesting systems among others prizes. The competitive nature of the program has seen schools employ innovative methods to nurture and grow their woodlots irrespective of the harsh conditions in the area.

The winning schools in the trial project will be announced in November this year as the expansion program kicks off.

The Partners in the ambitious phase 2 program will contribute a total of Kshs 120 Million to the project with KenGen Foundation contributing KShs. 49 million, Better Globe KShs 59 Million and Bamburi Cement KShs. 10.5 Million. The MOU signed today was for phase I of the expansion project worth Kshs. 74.1 Million.

The signing was officiated by KenGen’s Managing Director who is also the Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees Mr. Albert Mugo, Bamburi Cement CEO Mr. Bruno Pescheux and the Managing Director of Better Globe Kenya Mr. Jean-Paul Deprins. KenGen Foundation’s Managing Trustee Mr. Mike Njeru and the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Bamburi Cement Corporate Affairs Director Susan Maingi witnessed the signing.