On a bright Saturday morning, volunteers and schoolchildren gathered along Donholm's green corridor to plant what turned out to be a milestone tree: the 500th we've put in the ground since Pro-Green Shapers began its planting programme in 2022.
Why indigenous species make up most of the count
Most of what we've planted, and what went in today, are indigenous species chosen deliberately over ornamental alternatives. They establish better in Nairobi's soils, need less watering once mature, and support local birds and insects in a way imported ornamentals rarely do. Species like Croton megalocarpus, Markhamia lutea and various acacias make up the bulk of the count, selected for their track record surviving Donholm's dry spells with minimal aftercare once the first rainy season has passed.
The 500 figure also reflects a survival rate we've worked hard to improve. Our earliest plantings, back in 2022, lost a meaningful share of seedlings to inconsistent watering and rushed species choices. The tree nursery we later built specifically to address that, hardening seedlings before they ever reach a planting site, has pushed survival rates well above where we started.
What the milestone means for the corridor
Five hundred trees will not reforest Embakasi East on their own, but they mark a shift from talking about greening the area to actually doing it, one planting day at a time. Along the specific stretch of corridor where today's planting took place, tree cover has visibly changed over three years: what was largely bare verge in 2022 now has a developing canopy that's already noticeably cooler to stand under during the midday sun.
We're already scouting the next corridor for our following session, working from a shortlist developed jointly with residents who flagged bare stretches near their own compounds. We welcome anyone in Donholm who wants to bring a jembe and join us; planting days are announced on this blog and shared through our Get Involved page ahead of each one.