Schoolgirl named NEMA ambassador

The environment watchdog has named a Form Three student as its new Ambassador in the wake of the plastic bags ban.

National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) has named Hilda Gaceri, the Materi Girls School student in Tharaka Nithi, Meru after she caught nation’s attention when she photographed using banana leaves to carry her shopping on schools opening day.

Hilda said getting a new bag would have set her back Sh200, an amount she could not afford and given that she was also running late she had to decide quickly how to carry her shopping to school.

It is then that she wove the banana leaves into an environment-friendly bag to comply with the plastics bags ban which had taken effect on school opening day.

Speaking during a visit to Hilda’s school, the authority’s director of enforcement Salome Machua said the visit was to appreciate her and take back the report to the Environment and Natural resources Cabinet Secretary Judy Wakhungu.

She said that the authority was impressed and wished to use her as an Ambassador to mentor others on environment issues.