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NCBA will sponsor the inaugural Wangari Maathai Marathon for Kshs. 2 million. This is in honour of the late Nobel Prize winner and renowned environmentalist, Prof. Wangari Maathai. The marathon will be held on African Environmental Day, which falls on 3rd March 2024 at Karura Forest in Nairobi. The theme of the day is ‘Power of One’ to encapsulate the beliefs Prof. Maathai stood for in her environmental work and activism.
“I am grateful to the Wangari Maathai Foundation for partnering with NCBA to honour a phenomenal woman and the work that she did in her lifetime that continues to be felt to this day,” said John Gachora, NCBA Group Managing Director. “ At NCBA, we are committed to environmental conservation. This aligns with our sustainability commitments on nature and biodiversity by demonstrating a commitment to plant and grow 10 million trees by 2030,” he added.
The marathon programme will include a tree-planting exercise in which the NCBA and the Wangari Maathai Foundation teams will participate together with the Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya, elite Kenyan athletes –Eliud Kipchoge, Faith Kipyegon, Beatrice Chebet, Mary Moraa, Patrick Musyoki, Tegla Loroupe – and other dignitaries and marathon participants.
The marathon, which will feature a five kilometre fun race, two kilometre children’s race as well as ten kilometre and twenty one kilometre races, is open to anyone who would like to participate. Tickets will be on sale at Karura Forest during the whole month of February.
Speaking during the launch, Wangari Maathai Foundation President and CEO, Njeri Kabeberi said : “This event has been a labour of love to honour the legacy of a great woman. We are thankful to the sponsors, such as NCBA, who have come on board to help us realise our dream: for this marathon to be recognised on the world stage. Let today’s event be an indication of ‘The Power of One’ spirit to do more in the preservation of our planet.”
NCBA through it`s Change The Story Platform, will continue to partner with various organizations to meet its fifteen sustainability commitments.
