SDG4Impact Conference: From Awareness to Action in Mukuru Kayaba

The SDG4Impact Conference & Green Gold Cup 2025 at Strathmore University marked a turning point in the ongoing Mukuru SDG Awareness Campaign, an initiative committed to educating and empowering grassroots communities on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With just five years to achieve the 2030 SDGs targets, this campaign was driven by the question: How do we empower communities that do not yet understand what they’re being empowered about?

It is this question that inspired the creation of a participatory awareness movement.  A movement that ensures residents of informal settlements understand the SDGs and, in the process, own the solutions to the challenges these goals seek to address.

The programme was designed for implementation in two phases. The first phase was to train university students and select youth from Mukuru as SDG champions (change makers) to support the programme’s rollout. This phase ran for six months, featuring weekly training sessions led by key experts and faculty from around the world. The second phase is designed to engage residents of Mukuru Kayaba in SDG sensitisationthrough a series ofcommunity-based engagements on various SDGs over a six-month period.

Building Changemakers, Not Just Volunteers

Phase one of the SDGs campaign was conducted in 2025, mobilising over 300 passionate young changemakers, who underwent a Training of Trainers (ToT) programme, inaugurated by Professor Izael Da Silva, Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation at Strathmore University.

The six-month curriculum focused on understanding real issues on the ground and translating global SDG ambitions into meaningful local action. Weekly virtual sessions enabled volunteers to network, share experiences, and refine their grassroots advocacy strategies.

The first training was facilitated by Kennedy Wangari, a Strathmore alumnus, UN intern, and current Organising Lead for the Young World Federalists East Africa. Kennedy emphasised the realities of poverty, lack of basic needs and environmental degradation in informal settlements.  Issues that make SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) among the urgent priorities in these informal settlements.

Other speakers included:

• Solomon Dodoo Attoh, Digital Forensic Specialist & Development Advocate
• Dr Abdishakur Tarah, Senior Lecturer, Nottingham Trent University (Quality Education & Responsible Consumption)
• Anukriti Sharma, Programme Associate, Asian Environmental Youth Network
  and several others who broadened the campaign’s global perspective.

The SDG4Impact Conference

The training culminated in the SDG4Impact Conference, where participants graduated as certified SDG Awareness Champions. Themed “Africa at the Crossroads: Balancing Climate Justice, Development, and Resilience,” the event brought together university students, innovators, youth changemakers, and, most importantly, the residents of Mukuru Kayaba.

“This is not for photos or PR. These communities are not fundraising tools. They must become the architects of their own change,” said Ian Abuki, one of the campaign coordinators.

“In communication for development, we value participatory communication,” said Evans Ijakaa, another campaign coordinator. “You are now certified SDG Awareness Champions. Let’s ensure the communities we serve lead the change they want to see.”

For the first time, Mukuru Kayaba residents were not mere recipients of information. The conference created a platform for them to be co-creators of solutions, sharing their daily struggles, innovations, and dreams, bridging the gap between policy and lived experience.

Peris Mudibo, founder and CEO of Tendet Foundation and a key campaign partner, added:

“For a very long time, these communities have been neglected. It’s now our time as the youth to bring light to Mukuru. Let’s turn the conversation around.”

Over 150 changemakers were certified during the conference. Dr. William Murithi, keynote speaker, encouraged the changemakers to be agents of change in their communities, ensuring that Africa does not become a bystander to the SDGs but is at the forefront of driving change. He emphasised:

“Sustainable development in Africa must be contextually rooted in our realities, not imported blueprints. It must address energy poverty, create dignified jobs, and protect ecosystems”.

What’s Next? Taking SDGs to the Streets

Phase Two kicks off in Mukuru Kayaba in 2026, where volunteers will work directly with residents through:

• Community barazas
• Talent showcases and youth dialogues
• SDG clubs in schools
• Environmental and climate action activities

These efforts will ensure that SDGs become practical tools for daily life, not abstract UN jargon.

A Collective Dream for Sustainable Change

The Mukuru SDG Awareness Campaign demostrates what is possible when youth, academia, NGOs and grassroots communities collaborate. Sustainable development cannot remain confined to boardrooms, conferences, or websites. It must be lived, understood, and shaped by the people most affected.

This initiative acknowledges the essential support of Strathmore School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Strathmore University Nonprofits, Social Enterprises and Philanthropy (SUNSEP) Hub, Environmental Sustainability Community (SESC), Tendet Foundation, Young World Federalists, UN Global Compact PRME, Finnet Foundation, Nottingham Trent University and numerous community leaders & volunteers.

Change Begins with Awareness, and awareness starts with us.

Article written by Ian Abuki, Project coordinator, SDG4Change Project at SUNSEP Hub