Activist Spotlight: Cece Nyawira
An interview with Cece Nyawira – a Kenyan climate changemaker showing us how design, storytelling, and digital skills can be a tool for movement building amongst the youth.
Cece Nyawira is a climate communicator and youth advocate with a background in urban planning, based in Kenya. As a climate fellow with Aspire Climate Vanguard and a former ambassador with the African Climate Alliance, she has led storytelling projects that blend design, digital outreach, and environmental awareness.
Her work focuses on empowering young people and underrepresented communities through climate storytelling, social media, and localised learning tools. Her previous work experience cuts across research, environmental and social work, and communications.
She is currently running a social media page on Instagram, called Mizizi ya Ubunifu, dedicated to raising awareness on climate change and sustainability.
We caught up with Cece to ask her a few questions about her journey and work using multimedia tools to inspire young people to take climate action.
When did your change-making journey begin?
My journey began when I was still a child, subconsciously. I grew up in Kiambu, a town that had hectares and hectares of coffee farms, as far as the eye could see. We also had a stream that flowed through Kirigiti, an urban town in Kiambu. I would spot young boys fishing and hawking their catch on the roadside.
Now, it’s a different story. The stream is almost dried up, and the coffee farms have been replaced by apartments and supermarkets. Just grey infrastructure! Witnessing these events unfold in my community, it dawned on me that there is a need for people to redefine their relationship with the environment.
What are the main ways in which climate change is affecting Kenya?
I believe this depends on the region. In the Northern and North-Eastern parts of Kenya, people experience droughts, which cause food shortages and the death of their livestock. As a resident of Nairobi, I have also observed and experienced firsthand the impacts of climate change. The flash floods that hit the city last year led to property damage in neighbourhoods and informal settlements. On top of that, thousands were displaced.
Why do you believe that climate change is a matter of justice?
We cannot ignore that people are affected differently by climate change. This can be attributed to their geographical location and even socioeconomic factors like income, employment, education and age. The World Meteorological Organization states that Africa carries the brunt of the impacts of climate change, even though we, as a continent, produce the least global carbon emissions.
Climate injustice also cuts across social issues within countries, and we can see it manifest in low-income and marginalised communities, and how it affects vulnerable groups like women, children, indigenous people and the elderly. These groups are often unable to adapt to climate change due to a lack of resources and funds.
Tell us about your Ambassador Project, Mizizi ya Ubunifu. What was your project all about?
The purpose of my African Climate Alliance Ambassador project, Mizizi ya Ubunifu, was to explore graphic design as a tool for storytelling and raising awareness on issues such as climate change, environmental conservation, pollution and sustainability. I focused on creating educational visual materials, like posters, and distributing them in high-traffic areas within Nairobi.
This project also inspired me to create an Instagram social media page under the same name, and I've been sharing climate-based research and guides in digestible formats.
Lastly, through this project, I was also honoured to have an educational session on green habits and environmental conservation with children from a children’s home. This session was the most impactful to me because I got to connect with the younger generations and shape their view on climate action.
How do you think social media and digital tools can be used to develop collective action in Kenya and beyond?
Social media and digital tools play a crucial role in developing collective action. But, to do so, it needs to be done with a lot of intentionality. I've seen a lot of campaigns online that have shaken my nation to the core, like #rejectfinancebill2024. It’s not related to climate change, but it gives a perspective of how social media can become a mobilising tool and a platform to amplify voices.
Another example is the DeCOALonize movement, a movement that was committed to stopping the development of the coal industry in Kenya. Through social media, this movement was able to garner support from people both locally and internationally. We need to stop sleeping on social media!
Tell us about your climate activist starter pack. What can people expect to learn from it?
On Instagram (@mizizi.ya.ubunifu), I worked on a campaign called ‘Climate Activist Starter Pack’. It contains digital resources like YouTube videos and podcasts to check out, a breakdown of various climate terminologies and a clear guide on how to become a climate activist in one’s locality or community. This campaign reached over 5000 people across Kenya. I hope that this inspires climate activism and empowers people to take action and live sustainable lives.
How can we use creative ways to get more youth caring about the climate justice movement, understanding how it’s connected to their lives, and taking action?
I believe that to get the youth to care, we need to make it personal and engaging. It needs to relate to their everyday experiences, and it also needs to incorporate culture and social media. For example, you can use meme culture to put across a point. I follow a certain Instagram page called the Swap Circle, and I admire how they are running upcycling events and thrift markets to create a buzz about fashion sustainability.
What is something you learnt in your journey as an ACA Ambassador that you still carry with you today?
Through this experience, I have been able to learn how capable I am in organising and leading projects. With the exposure to communicating with different audiences and planning outreach strategies, my confidence and adaptability skills have definitely been sharpened. I also learnt a lot from the monthly meetings, like the importance of environmental education and intersectionality in climate justice work.
What is a misconception of the climate justice movement that you want to debunk?
Some people think of the climate justice movement as just a trendy social media movement. But, the climate justice movement goes back decades. Even now, the climate justice movement continues to share the common goal of adapting to the impacts of climate change, protecting rights and addressing how systemic inequalities play a role in climate change. It is more than a hashtag!
What is your ultimate dream for Mizizi ya Ubunifu?
I aspire to create a safe space for people in Kenya and beyond to learn about climate action and sustainability, and how they can actively plug in to their communities. Soon, I look forward to organising climate creative workshops that are anchored in zine-making, content creation and blog writing.
