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By Nyerere Sadat - Special Correspondent
In Kenya's arid Kitengela region, 2,000 fruit and medicinal trees were planted in one day-led by a Ugandan publicist. Brian Muhumuza Bishanga, founder of Kyarimpa Cares and BM Publications, is part of a growing wave of African civic leaders using influence for impact.
The March 2024 initiative, in partnership with Uganda's National Forestry Authority and the Judith Heard Foundation, targeted Life 4 Kids Home School-a symbol of the drought-stricken education system in East Africa.
"This isn't just about trees. It's about securing food, air, and futures," Bishanga said.
His move from entertainment PR to climate diplomacy may seem unlikely, but it reflects a wider shift. Bishanga now blends media strategy with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), positioning reforestation as both a story and a solution.
Experts say the project, though small, could influence regional reforestation efforts. Kenya aims to plant 15 billion trees by 2032; Uganda plans to restore 2.5 million hectares of forest.
Tree types-mango, moringa, neem-were chosen for both environmental and nutritional value. Students and clergy joined in, underlining Bishanga's push for community-rooted change.
He now plans to scale the model to Uganda's refugee zones and is developing tech to track tree growth in real time.
For Bishanga, trees are instruments of education, equity, and environmental justice.
"We can't wait for top-down change. We plant the future ourselves."