In Sosian Ward in Laikipia County, livestock waste that was once discarded or burned is now supporting a growing community enterprise led by rural women.For many years, members of the Naapu Nkoisusu Women Group and Namaiyana Self Group swept manure from livestock sheds and kraals without seeing any economic value in it. Some of the dung was sold cheaply. Much of it washed away during rains or dried under the sun. Animal by-products such as bones, blood, fat and hooves from local slaughterhouses were often thrown away. “We never knew animal waste had value,” recalls Kwi Lektashara, a member of the group. “We used to burn the dung to strengthen our mud houses. When it rained, the rest simply washed away. We did not think it could generate income.” That began to change when the women received training and support through a circular economy initiative implemented by UN Kenya through the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The programme helped local groups improve manure handling, composting techniques and market access, turning what had been discarded waste into a productive resource.Today the women collect dung from livestock sheds, mix it with water and Effective Microorganisms to speed decomposition and improve nutrient quality. The compost heaps are covered with polythene sheets to protect them from rain and excessive sunlight. Using simple thermometers, the groups monitor the temperature of the piles, turning them regularly and recording each step of the process. “We follow the process exactly as we were trained,” Kwi explains. “We check the temperature, we turn the manure and we record everything. When the buyer comes, he can see we maintained the right standards. We have become professionals.” The change has had a clear economic impact. Monthly income from manure sales among the participating groups increased from about USD 360 to USD 643. In addition, materials previously discarded such as bones, blood, fat, hooves and horns now generate an additional USD 55 per household each month. A key partnership emerged through a nearby abattoir. Bernard Macharia, who works with the facility, had been struggling with the growing volume of slaughter waste including blood, bones and offal. Disposal was expensive and raised environmental and sanitation concerns.“We were spending a lot of money just to get rid of it,” Macharia says. “The waste kept piling up and we were under pressure to find a proper disposal solution.” Through the programme, Macharia connected with the women’s groups. Instead of paying for waste disposal, he now sources processed compost inputs from them. The women also collect bones from the abattoir which are later used in fertiliser production.“The linkage came in very handy,” he explains. “When I collect manure from the groups, it is already composted to standard and properly documented. I do not need to repeat the process. I focus on blending it with abattoir by-products to produce granulated organic fertiliser.” With support to upgrade his granulation machinery, Macharia has increased production capacity. Demand for organic fertiliser is rising, creating a steady market for the women’s compost. Together, the groups and the abattoir have created a local closed-loop system. Livestock manure from farms becomes compost. Slaughter waste from the abattoir is processed and blended. The final fertiliser returns nutrients to the soil, improving agricultural productivity while reducing waste.The enterprise has also begun to shift traditional roles within the community. Livestock ownership often rests with men, yet manure management and compost production are now largely led by women.“The animals may belong to the men,” Kwi says with a smile. “But what comes after them, the dung that now brings income, belongs to the women.” As incomes rise, more community members including youth and men are becoming involved in the business.At the county level, the initiative aligns with efforts to promote organic fertiliser use and regenerative agriculture in Laikipia. Support from the county government is helping expand training, strengthen market linkages and encourage farmers to adopt sustainable soil management practices.For the women in Sosian Ward, the next step is growth. They plan to invest in transport equipment such as a tractor and tuk tuk to move manure and finished compost more efficiently. They also hope to train other farmer groups in composting techniques.What began as a simple effort to manage waste is steadily becoming a practical pathway for income generation, better waste management and improved soil health across the community.

When Ruth Osebe Michoma began her business journey in 2008, she did not imagine that one day she would mentor dozens of women entrepreneurs or advocate for more inclusive procurement systems in Kenya. Today, as Managing Director of Rosebe Enterprises and Rosebe Agencies Limited, Ruth has grown into a confident business leader who is helping other women, especially women with disabilities, access opportunities that were once difficult to reach.Ruth’s journey reflects the impact of efforts by UN Kenya, through UN Women, working with the Government of Kenya to expand women’s participation in public and private procurement. Under the Women’s Economic Empowerment programme, UN Women launched a Gender-Responsive Procurement (GRP) initiative in 2024. The initiative is supported through the UAE–UN Women Strategic Partnership Framework 2024–2027, a USD 15 million commitment from the United Arab Emirates to advance gender equality and strengthen women’s economic participation.The programme supports women entrepreneurs by strengthening their ability to compete for procurement opportunities, build sustainable businesses and participate in more inclusive supply chains.For Ruth, the turning point came when she joined Kenya’s Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) programme. The policy reserves 30 per cent of public procurement contracts for women, youth and persons with disabilities. While the opportunity existed, navigating procurement systems was not always straightforward.“I used to be timid,” Ruth recalls. “Today, I walk into any office with confidence.”Through mentorship, training and networking opportunities provided through UN Women’s GRP initiative and the Women’s Empowerment Principles Forum, Ruth developed the knowledge and confidence needed to navigate procurement processes. The training helped her understand tender documentation, manage applications and strengthen the operational side of her business.“The trainings helped me understand the paperwork process, navigate tender applications and manage my business more effectively,” she explains. “Through GRP my turnover has improved, and I have mentored more than 25 other women into entrepreneurship.”Her work has since grown beyond running a successful enterprise. Ruth now trains and mentors other women who want to enter the procurement space, sharing practical guidance on tendering processes and business management.Women entrepreneurs across Kenya still face multiple barriers when attempting to access procurement opportunities. Limited access to finance, complicated documentation requirements and delays in government payments often discourage small businesses from participating. For women with disabilities, these challenges are compounded by inaccessible office buildings, limited parking facilities and digital systems that are not always inclusive.Ruth has experienced many of these barriers first hand. Rather than stepping back, she has used her experience to advocate for improvements in how procurement systems work.“Some women give up too early,” she says. “Procurement is not a one-day affair. You need the right documentation, persistence and confidence.”Through partnerships between UN Women, the Government of Kenya and private sector actors, efforts are under way to address these challenges. The programme promotes simplified procurement documentation, improved access to finance and markets and more predictable payment systems for suppliers. It also encourages greater physical and digital accessibility for women entrepreneurs and persons with disabilities.Ruth believes these changes can open doors for many more women.“The government and private sector should lessen the documentation burden and improve payment timelines to make procurement more inclusive,” she says. “Standardising procurement processes across institutions would make bidding easier and more accessible.”Her advocacy also highlights the need to recognise the realities faced by women in rural areas and women with disabilities who must navigate digital systems that are often designed without accessibility in mind.Despite the obstacles, Ruth remains focused on supporting other women to succeed.“I no longer fear,” she says. “I now train other women on tendering and the delivery of quality services. It is not just about winning tenders. It is about sustaining your business and inspiring others.”Her story illustrates how targeted support, inclusive policies and practical mentorship can help women entrepreneurs expand their businesses and support others along the way.Across Kenya, women like Ruth are demonstrating that inclusive procurement systems can create real economic opportunities. With continued collaboration between government, development partners and the private sector, more women entrepreneurs will be able to step forward, compete and thrive.Through initiatives like the Gender-Responsive Procurement programme, UN Kenya continues to work with partners to expand economic opportunities for women, strengthen inclusive markets and ensure that no one is left behind.

The United Nations, development partners and government officials conducted a joint field mission to Embu County to examine Kenya’s home-grown school feeding programme and its connection to local agricultural production.The joint mission brought together representatives from the Government of Kenya, United Nations agencies, development partners and diplomatic missions to interact directly with farmers, cooperatives and schools participating in the programme. The delegation visited farmer aggregation groups supplying food to schools before travelling to St. Luke’s School for the Deaf, where meals prepared from locally sourced food are served to learners.The programme links agriculture, markets and education through a single system. Smallholder farmers supply food through cooperatives, schools purchase locally produced crops and learners receive nutritious meals that support health and learning.Kenya is working to expand this model significantly. The Government aims to scale school feeding from about 2.6 million learners today to up to 10 million children by 2030, which would make it one of the largest programmes of its kind in Africa.During the mission, the delegation also paid a courtesy call to the Governor of Embu County, Hon. Cecily Mutitu Mbarire, who welcomed the initiative and highlighted its importance for education in the county.The Governor noted that school feeding programmes have strengthened both attendance and retention of learners across Embu.“School feeding has strengthened attendance and retention of learners in Embu,” he said. Seeing the system up closeThe first stop during the mission was a cooperative that aggregates produce from farmers across Embu County.Through this system, farmers consolidate their harvests, store produce and negotiate better prices before supplying food to schools and other institutional buyers. The approach allows farmers to avoid selling to brokers who traditionally offer low prices immediately after harvest.Among the farmers receiving the delegation was Hellen Kamunda, a member of the Gachigethiori farmer group, which supplies produce to schools under Kenya’s home-grown school feeding programme. The group is implementing the Kenya Guidelines on Food Production for School Meals, an operational tool supporting sustainable local production and linking farmers directly to institutional markets under the country’s emerging national school meals policy.Hellen explained how aggregation has improved opportunities for farmers.“Once farmers aggregate their food together, they cut the burden of brokers who usually give very poor prices. The farmer can get a good amount of money which helps to pay school fees and improve their lives.”Training in improved agricultural practices has strengthened productivity. Farmers have adopted soil and water conservation methods, climate-smart farming techniques and water harvesting systems that help maintain yields even during difficult seasons.“Before we were introduced to these technologies, production was very poor,” another farmer explained. “From one acre of maize, we could harvest only 30 or 40 kilograms. Now we can harvest three to five bags even when the rain is poor.”Aggregation has also allowed farmers to increase incomes collectively. In one recent season, a farmers’ group sold maize, sorghum and green grams worth more than 100,000 Kenya shillings through the cooperative.For many farmers, supplying food to schools has created a strong sense of connection with their communities.“I felt very humbled to see the children eating the food that we have produced. It makes us proud to know the food is clean, safe and helping them grow.” Where the food reaches childrenThe mission later visited St. Luke’s School for the Deaf, where the connection between agriculture and education becomes visible.The school hosts learners from across Kenya, many from households facing economic challenges. For many students, school meals provide the most reliable source of daily nutrition.To complement food supplied through the programme, the school maintains gardens and agricultural projects that produce vegetables and fruits used in the kitchen. These activities are integrated into practical learning for students.Michael Nyaga, the school principal explained that school feeding has had a direct impact on attendance and retention.“For St. Luke’s School for the Deaf, inclusive school feeding means very high retention of learners. Learners insist on coming back to school because they know they are in a place where they are taken care of.”The programme has also contributed to healthier learners.“We have very healthy students. Our learners feed well and we rarely see nutritional challenges.”Beyond nutrition, the school farm equips learners with skills they can apply in their communities after completing their education.“We train our learners in food sustainability so that when they leave school they can integrate into the community and even earn a living.” A shared effort to strengthen food systemsHome-grown school feeding connects farmers, schools and communities through one integrated system. This approach is supported through joint work between national and county governments, United Nations agencies and development partners. Technical support to farmers, financing for rural production and strengthened school feeding systems help link food production with education outcomes.Development partners and diplomatic representatives in the mission included the French Ambassador to Kenya and officials from the Embassies of Sweden, Germany, Finland and Brazil, alongside philanthropic partners such as the Rockefeller Foundation and Novo Nordisk. They were joined by representatives from the national Government of Kenya, officials from the County Government of Embu which hosted the visit, and United Nations agencies including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP).Development partners supporting food systems and school feeding initiatives are also closely following Kenya’s progress.Hanna Carlsson from the Embassy of Sweden in Kenya, which supports food systems and school feeding initiatives, said the approach links several development priorities at once.“Connecting local farmers to school meals strengthens agriculture, improves nutrition and helps children stay in school.”As Kenya works towards expanding school feeding to millions more learners, the programme offers a practical model for strengthening food systems while investing in the country’s future generations.

The seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) commenced in Nairobi after a week of intensive negotiations, high-level dialogues, youth engagement and renewed calls for decisive global action. Nearly 6,000 delegates from more than 170 countries are meeting at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters from 8 to 12 December to deliberate on the theme “Advancing Sustainable Solutions for a Resilient Planet.”The Assembly convenes at a moment shaped by accelerating climate shocks, pollution burdens, biodiversity decline and the widening gap between scientific warnings and the global response. Delegates are examining a broad range of resolutions on artificial intelligence, chemical and waste governance, sustainable management of minerals and metals, transboundary freshwater cooperation, circular economy pathways, wildfire management, ocean governance, migratory species and climate justice.In her opening message, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed urged countries to act decisively to safeguard ecosystems and the stability of communities worldwide. UNEA-7 President Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Amri echoed this appeal throughout the week, emphasising the need for science-driven consensus, trust and fairness. “Our success depends not only on what we adopt but on how we reach it,” he reminded delegates. 
Nairobi’s Role and Kenya’s LeadershipHosting UNEA-7 reaffirmed Nairobi’s long-standing position as the world’s environmental capital and the permanent home of UNEP. Kenya’s partnership with UNEP spans more than five decades and this year’s Assembly placed the country at the centre of multilateral action.In her opening address, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Dr Deborah Barasa, set a decisive tone for the Assembly and established Kenya’s leadership as both host and active contributor to global environmental governance. She reminded delegates that Nairobi is not only the home of UNEP but also the place where many of the world’s most significant environmental agreements have been shaped.UNEA-7 must not only talk about the future, it must help create it.Dr Barasa’s call to action was clear. “The era of small, cautious steps has passed,” she said. “UNEA-7 must not only talk about the future, it must help create it.” She grounded this message in the lived realities of communities facing rising heat, prolonged droughts, land degradation and polluted environments. Her remarks underscored that environmental crises are not abstract global concerns but daily lived experiences for millions across Africa. Kenya played an active leadership role throughout the Assembly. The country sponsored three resolutions and co-sponsored two others, advancing global action on antimicrobial resistance, the environmental footprint of artificial intelligence and the use of sport to promote environmental stewardship. Dr Barasa underscored the importance of inclusive governance, stressing that environmental decisions must include women, youth, Indigenous Peoples and marginalised communities.UNEA-7 takes place as African nations continue to face profound environmental and economic pressures. UNEP assessments indicate that Africa loses between five and fifteen percent of GDP each year to climate impacts, pollution and ecosystem decline. These losses remain visible in droughts across the Horn of Africa, destructive floods in West and North Africa, falling hydropower output and rapid coastal erosion.African negotiators, including Kenya, are using the Assembly to highlight the need for financing reforms, streamlined reporting frameworks and global policies that reflect the realities of countries facing overlapping crises and constrained fiscal space.A distinguishing feature of this year’s Assembly was the scale of youth engagement. The Global Youth Declaration, endorsed by more than 2,000 youth organisations, called for fundamental reforms in environmental governance, stronger integration of science into decision-making and more meaningful roles for young people in shaping global policy.Young Africans raised concerns about land degradation, water scarcity, safety risks for environmental defenders and the governance of critical minerals as the continent expands renewable-energy and e-mobility sectors. Their interventions helped ensure that the outcomes of UNEA-7 reflected both scientific evidence and lived realities.Negotiations, Outcomes and GEO-7Over five days, delegates will examine 15 draft resolutions and three draft decisions aimed at strengthening environmental multilateralism. The Assembly also featured the launch of the seventh Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7), which outlined integrated pathways across waste and circularity, food systems, energy transitions and environmental governance.The high-level segment brought together heads of state and ministers from across the world. Kenya also co-hosted discussions on circular economy transitions and actions to end plastic pollution, building on Nairobi’s legacy as the birthplace of the global plastics treaty mandate.As host and an active participant, Kenya demonstrated its commitment to shaping global environmental direction, showcasing major restoration programmes, including the national 15-billion-tree initiative and took part in leadership dialogues on climate action, chemicals and waste, biodiversity and land restoration.Dr Barasa further emphasised that partnership, fairness and scientific credibility must guide global action. She reiterated Kenya’s call for inclusive decision-making and for solutions that reflect the needs of developing countries. Kenya also strengthened Africa’s collective voice on climate finance, sustainable resource management and equitable energy transitions.UNEA-7 leaves the global community with a renewed understanding of both the urgency of the triple planetary crisis and the possibilities of multilateral cooperation. For Kenya, the Assembly strengthened its position as a regional and global leader in environmental governance. For the world, it marks a test of whether multilateralism can continue to deliver the scale of action needed to confront rising climate threats, biodiversity loss and pollution.As delegates depart Nairobi, the message remains clear. The challenges are complex and interconnected, yet the resolve shown at UNEA-7 demonstrates that collective action is still possible and still urgently required to secure a resilient planet for present and future generations.