First River Clean-Up of 2025 Kicks Off the Quarterly Schedule

We moved from occasional clean-ups to a fixed quarterly schedule this year.

The Details

After running clean-ups on an ad-hoc basis through 2021 to 2024, Camp Nuo moved to a fixed quarterly schedule starting this January, making it easier for schools and volunteers to plan ahead rather than responding to occasional call-outs.

The first clean-up of the year drew 28 volunteers and cleared a dumping site that had built up over the December holiday period, when waste collection in the area typically slows.

The predictability of a fixed schedule is credited by organisers as the single biggest factor behind the larger turnouts seen at later clean-ups, including the 41-volunteer clean-up recorded in July 2026.

"The children who plant a tree tend to be the ones who stop others from cutting it down." — A local schoolteacher, Mwiki

Why It Matters

Blocked drains and a polluted river corridor are not just an environmental concern in Mwiki — they translate directly into flooding, waterborne illness risk and reduced land value for families living nearby. A fixed quarterly schedule, rather than occasional clean-ups, is what actually changes the trajectory of the corridor over time.