2024: From Hobby to Movement
I launched this website to share my journey and inspire others to start their own.
I introduced the #MitiMonday series to spotlight Kenya’s native trees, started a
school Tree Club model, and began recording my podcast.
What began as a family memory has now become a movement, rooted in action,
guided by tradition, and grown with hope.
Next? Rooting for our Future.
I’m just getting started. My dream is to create a nationwide youth movement for
indigenous trees, starting with students, powered by stories, and grounded in action.
I believe climate change is not just something to read about, it’s something we can
act on, even in school shoes.
My Tree Journey: One Seed at a Time
Timeline of how my project started
It all started in my living room in Nairobi. I was about 10 years old, listening to my
parents share childhood stories about Kisii, our rural home in the highlands.
They spoke of cold nights, fireflies dancing in the dark, and starry skies so bright you
could walk without a torch. They even had special warm clothes just for travelling to
Kisii.
But that Kisii doesn’t exist anymore.
Today, it’s warmer and more humid. The cold evenings are rare. Dry months are
longer. The fireflies, gone.
I started to ask questions: What changed?
The more I learned, the clearer it became; the answer was in the trees.
2019–2020: The Stories That Planted a Seed
Through my own research, I discovered how deforestation, especially the
replacement of indigenous trees with exotic species like blue gums (eucalyptus) had
changed everything.
These trees grow fast and are good for timber, but they are thirsty. Their roots pull up
groundwater, drying rivers and making it harder for farms to survive. They don’t
support wildlife, and they drain the land of life.
That is when I made my choice: I would help bring back the trees that belong here.
That year, I planted my first indigenous trees, Thika palms, on our family land in Kisii.
A small act, but it was the beginning of everything.
2021: The First Tree — Thika Palms in Kisii
I kept learning. I began tracking tree species, identifying native plants, and talking to
elders about trees they remembered growing up. I planted more trees with my family.
I realized this was not just about nature. It was about heritage, water, culture, and
climate all rooted in the same soil.
2022: From Curiosity to Commitment
I created tree fact cards in English and began imagining something bigger: a way to
connect young people through planting, learning, and restoring what we have lost.
2023: Sharing the Story
In 2021, I planted my first indigenous trees, Thika palms, in our family land in Kisii. It felt small at the time, but it was the start of something big.
Since then, I have been learning everything I can about native trees in Kenya, planting more every year, and encouraging others, especially young people like me to join in.
That is what this website is all about: sharing my journey, telling stories about trees that know our soil, and building a movement for climate action that starts right here, at home, one indigenous tree at a time. Every tree I plant is not just for shade or beauty. It’s a small act of climate action.
Through this site, I’m sharing my tree planting journey, the amazing things I’m
learning about Kenya’s native trees, and how other young people can get involved too. You will find tree facts, radio clips, school club ideas, even comics, because making change should be fun too.
How It All Started
But Kisii is not the same anymore.
Today, it is warmer. The nights are rarely cold. The fireflies are gone. The dry months last longer, and even the rivers seem quieter.
That got me thinking. What happened?
I started asking questions. Reading. Watching documentaries. Talking to my
grandparents. The answer kept coming back to one thing: trees.
A lot of the forests in Kisii have been cleared for homes, farms, and timber. The
native trees that once kept the soil rich, held the rains, and cooled the air have been replaced by exotic species like blue gum (eucalyptus). They grow fast and fetch good money for timber, so they are popular. But here is the problem: they also drink too much water. Their roots go deep and pull water from underground, drying nearby springs, rivers, and farmland. They strip the soil of nutrients and do not support birds, insects, or life the way indigenous trees do.
That is when I made a decision: I wanted to help bring back the trees that belong here.
About
Me
Bio
Hi, I’m Daniel Waswa
And I believe one tree can make a big difference.
I’m 14 years old, born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. I’m just like most teens, I love
football, rugby, comics and school debates. But what really changed the way I see
the world started one evening at home, just listening to my parents talk.
They were sharing stories about their childhood in Kisii, the kind of stories that sound almost magical now. They remembered how cold it used to get at night, how they
needed special sweaters and socks for the journey to their rural home in Kisii.
They talked about fireflies lighting up the dark, the sound of frogs in the stream, and skies
so full of stars it felt like they could touch them.