Mazingira challenge targets students in environmental conservation

The seventh Mazingira challenge, an annual event that raises conservation awareness among students has been launched at the Kenyatta University.

Over 1000 students attended the event, which also seeks to create a movement across universities to take lead in environmental conservation.

Dr Godwin Opinde who flagged off the event challenged universities to take lead and come up with solutions that solve current climate change issues facing the country.

 

The annual event was rolled out in 2012 and has since then been creating a major innovation and quiz challenge initiatives across universities in Kenya. 

Speaking during the event, Ikreet Singh - Chief Engineering The Megh Group representing PET and Coca-Cola showcased how they are turning ‘trash into cash” through recycling of PET plastics to make T-shirts that are used in football and sports in Kenya.

Themed ‘Harnessing youth innovation potential for sustainability’, the project gives the youth, who are passionate about making a difference and are creative enough to develop the solutions.

“Creating an environment free of waste is our priority,” Micheal Koech of Safaricom said.

Different speakers lauded the initiative as a unique opportunity that universities have in connecting the academician to the community and having them pro-actively come up with social and scientific innovations that can solve current problems the country faces.

Head of programmes Faith Chelangat challenged partners to come on board and create a youth movement that is dedicated to creating tangible solutions and fast-tracking the achievements of Sustainable Development Goals.

“We now officially launch our Campus caravan that will go to all universities in Kenya, urging them to start innovating and creating environmental solutions and working closely with communities around them to enhance the agenda of conservation,” she said.

The initiative will hold a National event after successful campus tour caravan that will see students innovations showcased and finalists of quiz challenge from each University meet at what is dubbed as the ‘ Great challenge” in 2020 with over 35 universities expected to compete.

With the nature of caravans, it is expected that, for the first time, academic institutions will take a pro-active role in ensuring that the country has homegrown innovations and solutions that will save the environment.