Mutuku grew up in a rural Kenyan community in a family of three brothers and a single mother. [6] [7] He spent his childhood in Machakos, an Ukambani zone in Eastern Kenya, where he developed his love for nature. [7] [8] [9] He witnessed water becoming more scarce as he grew up, and the challenges his family faced due to changing climatic conditions led him to activism. [6] [10] He is a graduate of the Environmental Conservation and Natural Resources Management program at the University of Nairobi, [6] [11] and has cited the work of the climate activist Wangari Maathai as inspiration. [8]
Activism and work
Mutuku has called for safe environmental practices and proper youth inclusion in Africa. [4] [9] With forests occupying 10% of Kenya in 1963 and only 6% in 2009, Mutuku has concerns about the decreasing forest resources in Kenya. [12] [5] He encourages campaigning against environment-degrading practices. [9] He was a member of an environmental awareness club during his college days, and since 2015, he has been part of the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change. [10]
Mutuku has previously worked as an environmental education officer at A Rocha Kenya, training students, farmers, and communities about organic farming, biodiversity conservation, and the SDG goals. [1] [11] He has worked as a communications lead at the 350.org-Kenya team for the DeCOALonize campaign and at AYICC-Kenya under the Education for sustainable Development (ESD) project. [6] [9] [11] The DeCOALonize campaign pushed for the use of renewable alternatives rather than fossil fuel. [9] He is also the Coordinator-Environmental Advocacy/Partnerships & Networking lead for Youth Coalition for Environmental Advocacy & Renewable Energy. [13]
Mutuku is currently the regional director for Africa at Youth4Nature, a global initiative calling for youth-led nature-based solutions. [1] [11] He is also an ambassador for the Global EverGreening Alliance. [8] In September 2018 he signed a letter addressed to Secretary Ryan Keith Zinke opposing the lease of public land to oil and gas drilling in California. [14]
His organization, Green Treasures Farms, uses organic farming, biodiversity conservation, tree growing, environmental education, and water harvesting to improve sustainable environment and income among rural Kenyan women and youth. [1] [6] [11] [4]
