James Mwangi’s Equity Group partners with University of Nairobi to fight climate change

The Equity Group Foundation and Kenya Forest Service have partnered with the University of Nairobi to plant about 7,000 seedlings to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.

While the foundation provided 5,000 seedlings to the university, the Kenya Forest Service supported the school with 2,000. According to Hapa Kenya, the organizations will plant the seedlings on the university’s campus to bolster its annual environmental rehabilitation efforts.

The Equity Group Foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of Equity Group Holdings Ltd., which is led by Group Managing Director James Mwangi. The Harvard Business Review described the foundation as focused on driving African development and creating opportunities for prosperity.

The foundation’s collaboration with the university aligns with the group’s gigantic conservation project to plant 35 million trees across Kenya, while supporting the government’s goal of increasing the country’s forest cover to 10 percent by 2022.

In a statement, Equity Group Chief Commercial Officer Polycarp Igathe said: “By planting trees today, we are securing the future, lives and livelihoods of our children and their children. Equity Group Foundation focuses on promoting the conservation of natural resources through expanding forest cover, improving water security and providing renewable energy and energy-sufficient technologies as smart alternatives to traditional and polluting energy sources.”

The Kenya Forest Service is responsible for protecting the country’s forests. After the Mount Kenya forest underwent massive deforestation between the 1960s and 1990s, the government has urged NGOs and local communities to plant trees, particularly indiginous trees.

“As a university, we recognize that each of us has a big role to play in contributing to environmental conservation. What started out as a plan to plant 200 trees has been upscaled 35 times through our collaboration with Equity Group Foundation and Kenya Forest Service. We are proud to work with like-minded partners in this noble tree planting event and urge all Kenyans to plant a tree this rainy season,” Stephen Kiama, the university’s vice chancellor, said.