Our History

A decade of growing hope
 
Save Kenya Water Towers was founded in 2010 in response to the alarming degradation of Kenya’s vital water tower ecosystems. What began as a grassroots environmental campaign quickly transformed into a national movement, fuelled by deep concern over deforestation, soil erosion, and water scarcity in the country’s highland regions.
 
From the outset, SKWT was driven by a bold vision: to restore degraded water towers, empower communities, and champion climate justice across Kenya’s diverse landscapes. Our founders: community leaders, environmentalists, youth volunteers, and educators mobilized local action through tree-planting drives, conservation activities in schools, and environmental awareness campaigns focused on the Mau, Cherangani, and Mt. Elgon ecosystems.
 
By 2010, SKWT had formally registered as a non-profit organization, enabling us to expand our reach and forge meaningful partnerships with community forest associations, government agencies, and conservation allies. Over the next decade, our work grew to support large-scale, community-led restoration in degraded catchment areas. We helped establish local tree nurseries, trained farmers and youth in indigenous seedling propagation, and linked restoration efforts with livelihoods and environmental education.
 
In the Elgeyo Hills, particularly the steep and degraded Spencer Line, SKWT launched long-term restoration efforts with smallholder farmers and restoration champions. By promoting soil and water conservation, reintroducing climate-resilient native species, and using landscape monitoring tools, we began turning vulnerable slopes into thriving green corridors.
 
Between 2020 and 2024, SKWT entered a new chapter of growth and collaboration. We partnered with regional and international organizations such as WRI Africa, Scope Intervention, Eco-Smart Africa, KENHA, the Restoration Alliance, Conservation Alliance of Kenya, and academic institutions like Moi University and the University of Eldoret. These partnerships brought technical expertise, research capacity, and greater visibility to our work.
 
We also launched innovative projects like the Green Ribbon: Biogas for Schools Initiative, which tackles deforestation and energy poverty by providing clean, sustainable energy solutions to schools across the Rift Valley.
 
By mid-2024, SKWT and its partners had restored tens of thousands of trees, trained hundreds of community members, and contributed to shaping Kenya’s grassroots-driven response to climate change. Now, as we look ahead, SKWT is evolving once more expanding its mission to encompass youth leadership, climate resilience, sustainable land management, and ecological restoration beyond traditional water tower ecosystems.
 
At our core, we remain rooted in the belief that restoration is not just about trees – it’s about people, dignity, and the future we want to build.
 
Our story is one of determination, community, and hope. And it continues to unfold -written every day by the thousands of Kenyans who believe in healing the land and restoring life, one seedling at a time.

By Dorothy Jerono