The legacy of Watu wa Miti

In 1922, Central Kenya, 15,000 men from the Kikuyu tribe came together under the leadership of St. Barbe Baker and Chief Josiah Njonjo, for the inauguration of Men of the Trees (Watu wa Miti).

Nearly 100 years later, ITF’s Teresa Gitonga had the pleasure of visiting James Mburu Mathia, son of one of the founding fathers of Watu wa Miti.

As Teresa sat in the green and luscious compound admiring the rare beauty of the trees, James spoke of the cultural and medicinal value of the indigenous trees that surrounded them. He also recalled the traditional and holistic afforestation methods employed by the Gikuyu people.

“We used to sing while doing certain special activities, and tree planting is one of them. We never dug holes to plant tree seedlings from a nursery bed,” said James. “We used to plant banana plants on degraded land and leave them to grow and ripen. We did not harvest the bananas but left them for the birds to eat, and in the process of discarding the seeds through their droppings, the birds regenerated the forest.”

James welcomed Teresa to his home in Kiambu County, central Kenya with open arms, where a multitude of fruits and trees were growing and thriving on his land, “As you can see it is full of trees and vegetation – a testimony to my love of trees,” James remarked.

James’ compound is also full of indigenous trees which is surprising in this region. It is like a library where you can study and learn about different trees and their benefits. People tend to plant exotic trees and over the years knowledge on these indigenous trees has been lost.

Years after Men of the Trees (now International Tree Foundation) was founded, James’ father worked as a forest guard at Kereita Forest in the 1940s. Growing up, James looked up to his father and like most young Gikuyu men, hoped to follow in his footsteps. “He had a green badge that he was very proud of which he used to wear,” James reflected. “Unfortunately, this has been lost over the years.”

James has passed on his passion for conservation and tree planting down to his children and grandchildren. “To follow our tradition of passing our knowledge down the generations I have trained my sons and daughters on the importance of conserving the environment.” His granddaughter remarked, “I admire him for his love of trees. He will not accept anyone cutting down trees without a reason”.

Like James, ITF’s co-founder, Chief Josiah Njonjo went on to inspire and urge Kenyans to plant indigenous trees and restore the country’s beautiful and diverse landscape.

St. Barbe Baker greatly revered Chief Josiah Njonjo and often spoke highly of his “integrity and courageous leadership”. Over the years since Men of the Trees was founded in 1922 up until Chief Njonjo’s death, he and St. Barbe maintained a close, albeit long distance friendship.

“After we had celebrated our 90th birthday together… I asked Chief Njonjo to tell me what was his greatest ambition for the future. How best he thought he could spend the remaining years of his life?” recalled St. Barbe. Chief Njonjo replied and enthusiastically said, “I will continue in my work of promoting planting throughout this part of Kenya. We of the Men of the Trees now have the women of Kenya whole heartedly supporting us”.

The passion and determination shown by founding members of the International Tree Foundation is deeply inspiring.

“I have loved trees for as long as I can remember. We know that trees are beneficial to human beings because they are a source of shade, firewood and clean air, and they also provide shelter and food to lots of animals and birds. I have made it my business to plant them everywhere,” said James.