Patric Nyamrinda Obam

My name is Nyamrinda Obam a nature lover, environmentalist and climate justice activist from Kenya.

I was born and raised in Siaya County in the western part of the country. Growing up in a county neighboring both the Budalangi and Nyando floodplains in Busia and Kisumu counties respectively, I came face to face with the flooding conditions experienced in the area. This was a major factor that drove me to develop interest in environmental conservation. I wanted to understand the causes of these events and solutions that could be offered. Deforestation is also rampant in the area since most households depend on wood fuel and charcoal for cooking and timber for housing. This led me to start tree planting activities in my home area and educating the community on the importance of trees a factor that thrust me into environmental advocacy.

After my high school studies, my love for nature especially for aquatic systems drove me to pursue an environmentally related course at the university (Bachelor of Science in Applied Aquatic Sciences). As I got to learn more about nature through my studies, my interest to advocate for environmental conservation and climate action to help curb the effects of climate change became clearer.  I therefore, delved myself into advocacy.

As an environmental advocate, I have engaged in several campaigns which include; the "SaveCongoRainforest" to raise awareness on the need to conserve the world's second largest rainforest, Congo forest, that is currently under threat from human activities;  the "SaveNairobiNationalPark" campaign that advocated for the protection of Nairobi National Park as a crucial wildlife habitat at a time when a railway line was being constructed through the park; the "ActOnSahel" campaign which focuses on raising awareness on the degradation of ecosystems in the Sahel region of Africa among other advocacy campaigns including tree planting drives, clean-ups in towns and beaches among many more.

As a way of environmental education, I write articles and poems expounding on the need for environmental conservation which on various platforms. One of my articles," Tree Planting Not Enough for Climate" was featured in the Climate Magazine July 2020 issue, a Pakistan magazine powered by Climate Beacons Network.

I was also nominated by the Climate Change Africa Opportunities (CCAO) as a Green Ambassador for the climate in Africa in the year 2020. Currently, in my quest for a better environment, I am running a mentorship drive to teach school children on the importance of environmental conservation at Ndarugu Primary School in Njoro. I believe engaging kids, teachers and their parents in tree growing campaigns is way of involving the whole community.

I also volunteer as the social media manager for The Eco-Mindset, a youth focused organisation leading the sustainability education space in Africa. Its main aim is to teach the community about sustainable ways of living, promote better and healthy lives and present practicable solutions to curb climate change that can be adopted by both companies and individuals.  

In addition, I recently founded a social media platform, Climate Powers, which aims at supporting and highlighting all efforts by nature lovers in the protection and conservation of this beautiful planet.

As a climate action advocate, I have faith that through environmental education and advocacy and as one people we are able counter the effects of climate change and restore the integrity of our planet.

My mantra: “If championing for climate action is wrong, then I will do it until it becomes right.”