Sustainable Practices Are No Longer Optional: Lessons from the Recent Elgeyo Marakwet Landslides
When Nature Speaks, We Must Listen
In recent weeks, communities in Elgeyo Marakwet County have witnessed devastating landslides triggered by heavy rains leading to tragic events that have claimed lives, displaced families, and destroyed livelihoods. Once again, Kenya is reminded how closely our safety is bound to the health of our environment.
While rainfall may appear to be the immediate cause, the deeper issue lies in how human activity has transformed the land. Unsustainable cultivation on steep slopes, unchecked tree cutting, and weak soil conservation practices have left many regions dangerously exposed. These are not acts of neglect but the choices of people striving to survive, often without sustainable alternatives.
At Tulia Africa Initiative, we believe it is time to rebuild this balance and ,not through blame, but through awareness, collaboration, and restoration.
When the Land Gives Way - Nature’s Call for Harmony
The Elgeyo Marakwet tragedy is not isolated. Across Kenya, forests are thinning, rivers silting, and soils eroding—clear signals that our ecosystems are under pressure. The message is urgent: we must return to harmony with the land.
Communities are not the problem; they are the solution. Rural households depend on the environment for survival. Empowering them with the right knowledge and resource tools that promote terracing, agroforestry, soil conservation, and tree planting that will enable them turn vulnerability into resilience.
At Tulia Africa Initiative, we’ve seen that when people lead restoration efforts, they restore not only landscapes but also livelihoods and hope.
Awareness and Action Go Hand in Hand
Preventing future disasters begins with community sensitization and practical action. Restoration is more than tree planting;-it is about re-establishing the vital link between soil, water, and vegetation.
Local leaders, youth groups, and schools play a crucial role in shaping mindsets toward stewardship. Every restored hillside, every protected stream, is a small act of climate resilience.
Technology and Preparedness: A Modern Lifeline
Landslides are rarely sudden. They often come with warning signs persistent rainfall, soil cracks, and slope instability. Integrating early warning systems, mobile alerts, and community-based monitoring can save lives.
Government and partners must strengthen information flow between institutions and the people most at risk. Mapping high-risk areas, training local response teams, and ensuring swift communication can make the difference between disaster and preparedness.
A Collaborative Path Toward a Resilient Future
The story of Elgeyo Marakwet is a national wake-up call. Sustainable practices are no longer optional they are essential to survival and progress.
We call upon government agencies, civil society, private sector actors, and communities to join hands in building a future rooted in restoration, preparedness, and shared responsibility.
Together, we can create a Kenya where development and nature thrive side by side. Because when we care for the land, the land will care for us.
About Tulia Africa Initiative
Tulia Africa Initiative is a youth-led organization dedicated to empowering communities to adopt sustainable land restoration and climate resilience practices across Kenya.
Contact us: info@tuliaafrica.org
Website: www.tuliaafrica.org
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