Editor's Review

Four other Kenyans were recognised alongside Ruto for various advocacy initiatives.

President William Ruto was on Monday, September 23 named in The Independent Climate 100 List 2024.

In the inaugural list by the British media organisation, The Independent, Ruto was recognised for championing initiatives dealing with climate change.

The media organisation also listed the 15 billion tree-growing plan as among the notable initiatives by the Head of State.

"He pledged to end the use of fossil fuels in Kenya’s electricity production by 2030 and has encouraged sustainable farming practices and water management," read the statement in part.

"Last September, he hosted the first Africa Climate Summit in the capital, Nairobi, which ended in a joint declaration demanding that major polluters commit more resources to help poorer nations."

From top left: Wawa Gatheru, Mithika Mwenda, Wanjira Mathai (daughter of Wangari Mathai) and Charlot Magayi.

Notably, four other Kenyans were recognised alongside Ruto for various advocacy initiatives in preserving the environment.

They include Wawa Gatheru who is the the founder of Black Girl Environmentalist, an organisation that empowers girls and women of colour.

Mithika Mwenda who is the co-founder of the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) was also celebrated for working with communities and the government to address the impact of climate change.

The other two Kenyans were Wanjira Mathai (daughter of Wangari Mathai) and Charlot Magayi.

"Mathai runs her own organisation, the World Resources Institute Africa, which supports female entrepreneurs and is a prominent voice at the UN on climate and justice in finance," the media house added.

"Charlot Magayi was raised in the Mukuru slums in Nairobi, and after becoming a mother at 16, she got a job selling charcoal. On seeing the effects of charcoal fumes on her village and both her and her daughter’s health, Magayi invented a clean stove in 2017 that uses biomass to cook, reducing pollution by as much as 90 per cent,"