Kenya's significant media presence at the latest Glasgow climate conference, with President Kenyatta speaking out in person and asking the West for support for all of Africa "which is largely paying for the faults of the rest of the world", is being felt in practice.
The young lawyer Elizabeth Wathuti, who recounted episodes she witnessed of how the lack of water and rainfall are creating permanent damage in Kenya, the young Ian Gunga Mzee who presented a manifesto on decarbonization, shed light on Kenya as the African nation most sensitive to the environment and the need to change course to save the world.
So now the attention of multinationals and "green" companies has shifted to Nairobi and the surrounding area.
After the processes already started regarding the recycling of plastic and the abolition of bottles that after the positive experiment in parks and reserves could be applied to the whole country, they are thinking about lowering the emissions that cause pollution.
Kenya's clean energy is now the main source of power, but wheeled transport still creates big problems. So after the entry into the market of the Scandinavian company Nopea, which brought electric cars for rental and for the Uber cab service, and two other companies (Opibus and Kiri) that convert diesel off-road safari vehicles into electric cars, another brand is about to make a real revolution: transforming diesel matatu into fully electric public transport services.
"Green Bus" in Nairobi, Mombasa and the main cities of Kenya, this is the bet of BasiGo, a start-up that wants to transform the world of transport in Kenya and all of Africa. It is estimated that over 30,000 diesel matatu operate in Kenya. Their transformation into healthy carriers of clean energy, recharging the vehicles every 250 km, would be an incredible breath of fresh air for the cities.
This is only for engines, but also for recycling private entrepreneurs have moved, like a Zimbabwean tycoon who wants to give work to thousands of poor people of the Kibera slum to create the largest collection and recycling point of the continent.
At the same time, thought will have to be given to the country's biggest challenge, waste disposal. Not just recyclable plastic, but everything else. By now the air in cities and towns is polluted by toxic fumes of all kinds and Kenya's economic growth can no longer allow open-air dumps. Also for this reason there are companies ready to operate, but there is a lack of funds and important sponsorships. Every day small Kenyan realities open fundraising, "crowdfunding" with projects more or less serious and feasible.
What is certain is that Kenya's ecological frontier is wide open and attractive to those who want to stop the slow death of the earth, who care about the future of their children (of all nationalities and places) and, at the same time, know that they can also make a profit. For all of this, Africa is the right environment and Kenya is one of the countries that has already begun to move.