Mandera county has edged first world cities Liverpool and Melbourne to have its afforestation programme declared sustainable to turn it into a future green city.
Mandera municipality’s greening programme had been listed in the Living green for climate change category competing with other initiatives in UK’s Liverpool and Australia’s Melbourne.
The fete happened on September 25 in Netherlands Utrecht city during the Future Green City World Congress, which brought together over 3,000 experts from around the world.
The Mandera initiative was started by the first governor Ali Roba and was taken over by his successor Governor Mohamed Khalif’s administration.
It has planted nearly 300,000 trees in the town, promising to deal a sustained blow on the severe drought that has plagued the region, killing livestock and putting lives on the line.
Khalif says the objective is to plant a billion trees by the end of his five-year term. The county has enlisted some 1,300 families to tend to trees planted within the municipality.
He said they would raise the trees with leftover water.
“Every moment they cleanse themselves for prayers, the water is not poured out as waste but used to hydrate the trees, shielding them from being dried up by the unforgiving sun.”
Every family will adopt a tree and nurture it.
The participating families are given a stipend of Sh10,000 monthly, motivating them to do the work and at the same time, affording them an avenue of income.
UK’s Liverpool city’s project in the competition was the URBAN GreenUP while Australia’s Melbourne had its Green Factor Tool project for consideration.
The category was assessing viability of initiatives to give living green solutions such as street trees, green roofs and walls and parks and gardens, all contributing to moderating the impacts of climate change.
“In solving problems such as the urban heat island effect and poor local air quality, nature-based solutions deliver quantifiable cash value to city authorities and enhance the quality of life,” an explainer said.
“I’m proud of this municipality greening project because it has not just transformed the face of Mandera, but also given it life and made our county a significant place of the future,” Khalif said.
The competition had seven categories, and each category winners were selected by the 2024 Jury from the list of 21 finalists, organisers of the fete said.
“With this announcement, AIPH and partners proudly showcase the bold and inspiring urban greening initiatives by winning cities from around the world, all of whom are leading the way in shaping a greener urban future,” organisers of the event said.
“We are extremely proud of how the AIPH World Green City Awards has grown from strength to strength since the inaugural 2022 edition,” says Tim Briercliffe, secretary general, AIPH.
“As we launch the 2026 edition, we look forward to seeing this trajectory continue with the prospect of showcasing even more action from even more cities around the world. Watch this space.”
“We did it,” the governor declared after the county was announced winner.
Council of Governors lauded the county’s win, congratulating it for the endorsement of the initiative.
“Congratulations to Mandera Municipality, Mandera county, for winning the prestigious AIPH Global World Green City Awards 2024 at the Royal Jaabeurs in Utrecht, Netherlands.”
Before the project started, the county grappled with massive winds that occasioned a plume of dust, not to mention the scorching sun with no shade to shelter from.
Since the trees have grown and covered the town, the county has experienced more rainy seasons than in the past. This has made it easy to harvest water and irrigate crops.