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Miti Mitaani

Greening Nairobi, One Tree At A Time

Who are we?

Kiswahili for ‘trees in our neighborhoods’,

Miti Mitaani pays urban youth to establish community forests in Nairobi, Kenya.

Did you know...

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Nairobi's temperatures have increased over 1.5 degrees since the 1950s while tree cover has reduced 22% over the past 3 decades.

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Young people aged 15 - 34 face high rates unemployment, with over 80% of youth relying on casual informal work.

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Urban expansion has led to a drastic decline of trees in Nairobi. For ex. illegal property development on riparian land has resulted in losses.

Miti Mitaani provided us with trees. We planted them and are watering them. It’s good for the climate. The trees help us with shade, fresh air and makes this place cooler than the built up areas.

Francis Mkunga, Simplicity Youth Group Member

What We Do

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Greening Our City

At Miti Mitaani, we believe in the power of community forests to transform our city by making it cooler and greener. We engage youth to plant trees along the Nairobi River basin and maintain them to ensure their survival.

Sustainable Income Creation

Youth earn money through reforestation in their own neighborhoods. They invest this money in group businesses as well as meeting their basic needs such as food and healthcare.

Tackling Climate Change

At Miti Mitaani, we're taking action to combat climate change by greening Nairobi, one tree at a time. Trees are the most scalable and affordable solution to cool cities and build climate resilience.

How We Make a Difference

At Miti Mitaani, we have a unique 'trees-for-cash' approach that engages youth groups in the following ways:

  1. We pay the group for every tree planted. 

  2. We pay the group monthly for every tree that survives.  

  3. Groups work together with community members and the local government to create community forests. 

This approach has the potential to quickly increase tree cover in Nairobi, ensure high rates of tree survival, and restore valuable riparian forests across Nairobi River.


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Our Impact

Since our pilot project in 2022, we have accomplished the following:

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250

Youth engaged

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2,300

Trees in 3 community forests

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Ksh 518,000

Earned by youth

99%

Tree survival rate

Miti Mitaani has created job opportunities for us. The income we received has allowed us to open a carwash, start farming and rear chickens. The remainder we save in our accounts. Our area has become green. The trees help the community by bringing fresh air and reducing soil erosion.

Lewis Gachege, Makinika Wisemen Youth Group

Meet The Team

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Ronny Mutua

Founder & Strategy and Partnerships Lead

Ronny has 8+ years experience in the fields of strategy consulting, project management, change management and organizational leadership.

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Maria Omulubi

Co-founder & Programs and Operations Lead

Maria has 10+ years experience at environmental and agricultural organizations in East Africa managing field teams, developing program strategy and scaling service delivery.

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Richard Ngei

Programs Coordinator

With a background in community marketing, Richard leads all collaboration with Miti Mitaani’s youth groups and local officials to ensure we center participants in our program.

Miti Mitaani helps us with eco justice. Where it is hot, trees give us shade and a place to rest and relax. We invested in a motorcycle and we want to put up a grocery shop where we sell fresh vegetables and cereals.

Samuel Gitonga, Simplicity Youth Group

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What's Next

We are currently designing a restoration project across the Nairobi River Ecosystem.  Our goal is to restore 1,000+ hectares of Nairobi riparian lands by planting 1.7 million trees. The project would create jobs for 7,000+ youth who act as tree planters and stewards for survival. 

Our Generous Partners

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