The video takes us to three sites in Nairobi, where greening activities are ongoing.

Franklin Kirimi and Ibrahim Maina take us to public spaces, KDI Kounkuey Design Initiative has designed in a participatory process with local communities in Kibera. They explain how green infrastructure protects the areas. The Peoples Park, initiated by the local youth in Korogocho shows how the residents appreciate safe, green spaces. There is also a lot of greening done along the Redhill-Road-Wayaki-Way Link, which is being turned into a 5km green corridor, by different communities.

"A public space is ideally accessible to everyone: it is a space where you get optimal gathering, people are able to exchange ideas, you get a lot of interaction."

Kounkuey Design Initiative is a community development and design nonprofit. KDI partners with under-resourced communities to advance equity and activate the unrealized potential in their neighborhoods and cities.

Franklin is the Landscape Design Coordinator at KDI Kenya. He supports the development of design strategies and solutions for KDI’s build projects in Kenya, and helps plan and execute community co-design workshops.

Ibrahim is the Senior Community Coordinator at KDI Kenya. He is passionate about including the community’s voice in the development of Nairobi’s informal settlements. A born and raised Kiberan, Ibra first joined KDI in 2006 as a volunteer with extensive knowledge of the settlement. An expert in conflict management and youth engagement, he manages the community engagement process on all ten Productive Public Spaces in Kibera

"Before we started Kombgreen Solutions we were involved in all sorts of crime in Korogocho."

Kombgreen Solution is a CBO in Korogocho, Nairobi. The CBO was founded in 2017, after a successful joint effort of the local youth to clean the dumpsite next to a newly built bridge and create a green, safe space for the community, the Peoples Park. Kombgreens is providing training and mentorship riparian ecosystems restoration for other youth groups, who want to transfer the model to other parts of the informal settlement.

"If you walk around here on the weekends, you will find people taking photos and resting, sitting in the grass and having fun. This makes me happy."

Cathy Watson committed to building public understanding of the role of trees in nutrition, poverty and disaster risk reduction, and stemming the climate crisis and biodiversity collapse. Together with other communities along the Wayaki Way-Redhill Road Link, thousands of trees have been planted, creating a green corridor for insects, habitats for many different species.  

Access the video and information about the speakers also here:

https://shambajijini-summit.net/interview/franklin-kirimi/

https://shambajijini-summit.net/interview/christopher-waithaka/

https://shambajijini-summit.net/interview/cathy-watson/