Reviving Waterways, Empowering Youth: Enock Mong’are’s Vision for a Resilient Africa

Enock Sangaka Mong’are is a passionate youth activist and climate change advocate with over five years of experience in environmental conservation, climate education, and sustainable agriculture. As Chairperson and Programs Coordinator of Green Initiative Kakuma, he has led numerous youth training programs on climate resilience and environmental stewardship. A trained leader in climate governance and diplomacy, Enock represents his organization at the Kenya Climate Change Working Group. He is also an alumnus of YALI, the EAC Youth Fellowship, and the Kenya Climate Innovation Centre, actively contributing to national and regional climate dialogues.

This is an interview with Enock, where he talks about his experience and as a leading voice in Africa’s nature conservation:

Aquatic ecosystems, from wetlands to rivers, are vital for climate resilience. In your work with Green Initiative Kakuma, how have you addressed the degradation or protection of these water-based ecosystems?

At Green Initiative Kakuma, I have led the restoration of riverine ecosystems such as the Nabek and Tarach rivers ecosystems. Through our organization’s works, we have grown 2, 136 tree seedlings comprising of the Acacia tortilis and the Azaridachta Indica; neem tree. Our initiatives focused on reforestation due to the high levels of deforestation along the rivers in search of wood fuel.

You have a background in both chemistry and climate change education. How can science-based knowledge be used more effectively to monitor and restore aquatic ecosystem health in vulnerable regions?

To safeguard the river ecosystems in Turkana’s drylands, robust monitoring and restoration strategies are essential. Sensors track pH, oxygen, nutrients, and metals, while isotopic analysis pinpoints runoff sources. Satellite imagery and GIS monitor vegetation, invasive Prosopis juliflora, and flood patterns, complemented by bioindicators like macroinvertebrates, Nile tilapia, and microbial diversity to assess water quality. Restoration involves removing Prosopis, which dominates 39% of Turkwel’s sites, and replanting native Acacia tortilis. Advocating for dam water releases mimics natural floods, sustaining floodplain forests, while biochar reduces salinity, enhances water retention, and filters runoff. Climate adaptation addresses warming’s impact on oxygen levels and models restoration scenarios, with efforts to restore upstream mesic zones countering the Turkwel Dam’s reduced flooding. Community engagement empowers locals through citizen science, using traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of 102 plant names for water quality monitoring. The ekwar system ensures sustainable forest management, while education promotes flood cultivation and advocacy curbs deforestation. Challenges like water scarcity are tackled with decision-scaling for water allocation, invasive species and deforestation are managed by blending TEK with reforestation, and limited infrastructure is overcome by partnering with NGOs and leveraging mobile technology for data and training. Climate change adaptation addresses temperature, acidification, and extreme weather. Community engagement through citizen science and education, alongside policy advocacy, enhances monitoring and sustainable practices for resilient aquatic ecosystems.

Water scarcity and pollution are growing threats in East Africa. What sustainable practices, particularly from your work in agriculture or community training, have helped reduce pressure on freshwater sources?

Through community trainings that have focused mostly on the youth and women, our organization has encouraged adoption of communal use of resources such as livestock water points and pasture. Additionally, we have advocated for economic use of water especially the one used for irrigation. We have pushed for climate adaptive agriculture such as use of shed nets among women farmers’ groups to prevent evaporation of soil water. This reduces the pressure on fresh water sources such as seasonal rivers whose water flow is not regulated. Our works also support best ways to prevent pollution in fresh water sources. We have been campaigning against open defecation and dumping of plastic waste into freshwater ways.

Aquatic biodiversity is often overlooked in climate discourse. How do you incorporate awareness about aquatic life and water ecosystems into your youth and climate education programs?

Our climate and environment training manuals have a component of aquatic life and water ecosystems. We seasonally organize for environment tours to fresh water ways such as Lake Turkana and River Turkwel to improve understanding and foster community engagement and learning through live sessions. We also integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge (T.E.K) of the Turkana people in promoting learning in the aquatic life and water ecosystems.

Have you collaborated with any government or civil society organizations on aquatic ecosystem conservation or freshwater resource management? What has that experience taught you about multi-level climate governance?

Yes, we have collaborated with Page-IX digital magazine, https://page-ix.com/, in promoting ecosystem conservation practices through writing articles and communicating through social media handles about freshwater resource management. We have also collaborated with the Pulitzer Center through their microgrant that has enabled us to carry out a project that integrates indigenous knowledge in managing natural resources such as water sources in Kakuma town, Turkana County of Kenya.

Climate change negotiations often prioritize land use and energy. From your experience as a climate governance leader, how can aquatic ecosystems get more recognition and protection at the policy level?

To elevate the recognition and protection of aquatic ecosystems like the Turkwel and Tarach rivers in Turkana’s drylands within climate change negotiations, strategic policy integration is vital. Embedding these riverine systems in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, as over 70% of updated NDCs now include ocean measures, ensures their role in climate adaptation, like supporting Turkana’s flood recession agriculture, and mitigation through carbon storage in floodplain forests. Highlighting their blue carbon potential, similar to mangroves, and advocating for their inclusion in IPCC greenhouse gas accounting can prioritize rivers in climate frameworks. Mainstreaming these ecosystems into global agreements, such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the 2025 Nice Ocean Action Plan, aligns them with integrated freshwater-coastal management goals. Robust data from sensors tracking pH, nutrients, and invasive species like Prosopis juliflora, which dominates 39% of Turkwel sites, alongside satellite imagery, strengthens policy arguments, mirroring the EU’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Incorporating Turkana’s traditional ecological knowledge, including the ekwar system for sustainable forest management, and engaging pastoralists in citizen science for water quality monitoring, as emphasized in the Nice Ocean Action Plan, ensures equitable policy design. Breaking policy silos through cross-sectoral collaboration, as recommended by the FAO, and securing financing for river restoration address infrastructure challenges in Turkana. Highlighting socioeconomic co-benefits, such as food security from Turkwel Delta fisheries and resilience against droughts, as noted in the NOAA Fisheries Climate Science Strategy, underscores the need for policies promoting flood cultivation and Prosopis control, ensuring these riverine ecosystems gain deserved policy focus and protection.

Looking to the future, what innovations or local solutions do you believe hold the most promise for conserving ecosystems while supporting sustainable development in East Africa?

The future should prioritize youth-centric approaches in designing and implementing ecosystem conservation especially in marginalized, under resourced and vulnerable communities. Young people should be empowered through climate innovation hubs and their talents, knowledge and lived experiences harnessed to deliver the best-fit sustainable solutions that protect, and conserve rivers, oceans, lakes, drylands and forestlands.