- A total of 3,300 tree seedlings planted at the hospital during the exercise as part of Equity’s 35 million trees planting initiative.
- More than 200 youths engaged in the exercise through the Kazi Mtaani Programme.
Nairobi, April 12th 2021 Equity Ngara Branch partnered with the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government to plant 3,300 tree seedlings at Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital.
The exercise was conducted with the support of the Kazi Mtaani programme and chaperoned by the Deputy County Commissioner Mathare Sub-County, Jacob Mwaura. More than 200 youths from Mathare sub-county came out to plant trees in the public hospital that focuses on mental health matters.
“Kazi Mtaani is an intervention by the Government to take care of youth affected by the restrictions enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic, where many have lost jobs and closed their businesses. Through exercises like this one, where young people provide labour, we keep the youth busy and the environment clean. The youth will also be involved in taking care of the trees until they grow,” said Jacob Mwaura.
He added that this being the rainy season, it is a good time to plant trees, with Mathare sub-county having a target of 4 million trees for the year 2021.
Speaking during the tree planting, the Acting Deputy CEO of Mathari Hospital, Dr Laurence Nderi said the hospital is happy to partner with Equity since both institutions share a commitment to impact the communities they serve.
“Equity is a market leader in the banking sector and has a strong CSR culture. Assisting the community is one of our mandates and we are glad that Equity staff are leaving their offices to be with the community. There is a lot more we can do together,” he said.
Equity Nairobi West Region General Manager Stephen Macharia, who accompanied the staff from Ngara Branch, said the event was a significant one for the region which boasts 32 branches. “We have a target to plant 23,600 trees per branch, but even more important is that we want this exercise to be in partnership with the community. We acknowledge the young people from Kazi Mtaani who have joined us today here at Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital to plant trees,” he said.
The event was organized by Equity Ngara Branch. “Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital is our client and we are happy to partner with them today as we plant trees under the direction of Kenya Forest Service officials,” said, Charles Gitonga the Branch Manager
Among the trees planted were 200 indigenous trees and 100 grafted mango trees. Patricia Kitheka, who is in charge of forestry advisory services in Nairobi County said Kenya Forest Service, values Equity’s partnership in greening the county. “This is in line with the presidential directive to increase forest cover,” she noted.
The exercise is part of Equity’s 35 million trees planting initiative in the Group’s efforts to conserve the environment. Through its partnership with Kenya Forest Service (KFS) in this noble initiative, the Bank has been able to receive technical and supervisory support in ensuring proper planting and maintenance of the trees.
About Equity Bank Kenya
Equity Group is the largest bank in East and Central Africa in assets of over USD 10 billion. With over 14.2 million customers, the Group is one of the biggest banks by customer base in Africa. The Group has a footprint of 336 branches, 53,151 Agents and 34,862 Merchants and 725 ATMs. The Group is the largest bank in market capitalization in East and Central Africa. The Banker Top 1000 World Banks 2020 ranked Equity Bank 754 overall in its global ranking, 62nd in soundness (Capital Assets to Assets ratio), 55th in terms of Profits on Capital and 20th on Return on Assets. In 2020, Equity was ranked position 7 in the list of top 10 banks in Africa in The Banker’s Top 100 African Banks, becoming the 1st bank in Eastern and Central Africa to achieve this milestone, paving way for East African banks to play in the league of big banks together with South Africa, North Africa and West Africa. The bank was ranked 5th on soundness, 9th on growth performance, 8th in return on risk, and 6th on profitability. In the same year, Moody’s gave the Bank a global rating of B2 with a negative outlook same as the sovereign rating of the Kenyan government due to the Bank’s strong brand recognition, solid liquidity buffers and resilient funding profile, established domestic franchise and extensive adoption of digital and alternative distribution channels.
