Dutch Royal couple visits Thogoto Forest: a green oasis on the outskirts of Nairobi
This week, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima visited Thogoto Forest as part of their state visit to Kenya. They were able to see the impact of the work of our partner MCDI in the area: a restored forest, clean water and farmers who can earn a living by selling their agro-ecological products.
Thogoto Forest is a lush green area near the metropolis of Nairobi. The air is fresh and the forest is the source of the Athi River, a beautiful clear stream that eventually becomes a river that flows past Nairobi and the Nairobi National Park.
The King and Queen spoke with members of the Thogoto Forest Family youth organisation, among others. These young people have successfully managed to protect and green the forest. They now promote ecological tourism in the area and work to raise visitors' awareness of the importance of Thogoto Forest and other green areas for biodiversity and water supply.
During the visit of the Royal couple, Thogoto Forest Family organised a tree planting campaign. The King and Queen also did their bit by planting a tree.
Athi River Community Network
The royal couple also spoke with Violet Matiru from our partner organisation MCDI Kenya. She leads MCDI's work with the Athi River Community Network (ARCN) in the fields of agroecology, water management and nature conservation. The ARCN is a network of local Water Resource Users Associations (WRUAs), Community Forest Associations (CFAs) and community organisations along the Athi River basin, Kenya's second longest river. Both ENDS has been supporting MCDI and ARCN since 2019, not only in and around Thogoto Forest but also in the entire area around the upper Athi River.
Among other things, the network has trained small-scale farmers (especially women) in agro-ecological practices. This is very important for the conservation of nature and for securing clean water; a lot of agrochemicals are being used in the area, with consequences for human health and the environment. In 2020, the Kikuyu Organic Farmers Market and Shop (KOFARMS) was established. This market and shop is now financially independent and even supplies a Kenyan online supermarket.
‘It was a great pleasure to host the King and Queen of the Netherlands at our Thogoto Forest and to showcase our conservation, agroecology and ecotourism activities,’ Violet Matiru said afterwards. ‘We had so much fun and laughter with the Royal Couple, further cementing our long term collaboration with Dutch people that we've had through Both ENDS and more recently with IHE-Delft.’
A nice recognition
‘The royal couple's visit to Thogoto Forest is a wonderful recognition of the important work that the ARCN communities and organisations have done in recent years to preserve, restore and protect the Athi River basin,’ says Melvin van der Veen, who coordinates activities in this area on behalf of Both ENDS. ‘Our support for ARCN - in the areas of water management and agroecology - has resulted in greater connection between communities, a socioeconomic perspective and a healthier living environment. This is especially true for young people and women. In this way, we contribute to a more stable society and socio-economic development, and we are therefore proud that the Dutch embassy has chosen this place to show the impact of Dutch development cooperation to the Royal couple.’
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