Joseph Nguthiru is one of the enthusiastic young Kenyans working towards a cleaner and safer environment. To him, service to his environment and community is a calling – one he does wholeheartedly.
Joseph got a grasp of what service to others truly meant after an introduction to community service at Alliance High School. At the time it was among the requirements for every student. Slowly but surely, the time taken to volunteer at community centres and spaces was preparing him for a future in environmental conservation.
He joined Egerton University in 2016 to study Civil and Environmental Engineering. This would be the stepping stone in learning to develop and utilise natural resources in an environmentally sound manner. His interest in innovation prompted him to go beyond school work to seek activities that aligned with his interest and that would make a difference for Kenya and Kenyans.
In 2019 for instance, Joseph took an interest in the maladies pyrethrum farmers in Kenya were facing. This former large-scale crop had gradually fallen in the market due to the high costs of drying. The Kenya Pyrethrum Board, Tin Roof Foundation, and Kentegra put out a call for designs as part of a solar dryer design competition. They were determined to curb the issue. Joseph saw an entry point to put what he’d learned at school to the test. His design emerged as the winning one and has been implemented into effect, currently in use by pyrethrum farmers around the country.
This breakthrough motivated Joseph to continue seeking projects that served the community and protected the environment. Teaming up with his classmates Charles Kinyua and Pascal Nabiswa, the following year Joseph entered the L’Oreal Brandstorm (global) innovation competition. The brand’s mission that year was to eliminate or reduce the use of plastics in cosmetics packaging. The group was among hundreds that made an attempt at providing a sustainable solution.
Good fortune was certainly with Joseph and his team. They became the official representatives of Eastern Africa at the international finals in Paris. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the team was not able to travel. However, doors opened for Joseph to be a part of the global brand after he participated in this competition. He works there even today.
Though making a mark in the environmental space, education was still a priority for Joseph. In June 2021, he and his classmates went on a school trip to Lake Naivasha. A boat’s motor got tangled in hyacinth while the class was on board and some distance from the shore. For several hours, the group was stuck in the water. It was an awkward and uncomfortable situation that none besides the boat operator had experienced before. There were two options to get out of the situation: to wade through the hyacinth, or wait for the Kenya Maritime Authority to send a helicopter to come get them. There was no guarantee how long either would take, but the group opted to wade through the hyacinth.
The five-hour laborious task was both daunting and exciting for Joseph. Above all, he had never seen or experienced the frustrations of being stuck in hyacinth. He was spurred into action when thinking about the frustrations of boat owners who had to endure this often.
Later, on a tree-planting excursion in the Mau, Joseph noticed that the seedling wrappers posed a threat to the environment. This was the case despite the attempts to plant trees being in full effect.
Pairing up once again with Charles Kinyua, the two embarked on a project to use hyacinth to produce biodegradable wrappers and plates. The duo dubbed the project HyaPak and used materials available at school.
The two made a point to share their project development with others. Upon completion, they submitted it to the Climate Action Awards East Africa. In November 2021 Joseph and Charles received the ICPAC Youth for Climate Award and in March 2022 the World Engineering Day Award.
Joseph Nguthiru – we salute you for showing us that environmental conservation solutions are within reach!
#OurGreenHeroes
