Kenya Sevens star's plan with Kenyan clubs to tackle global warming

As conversations around climate change continue to dominate global platforms, Kenya Sevens forward Kevin Wekesa is ensuring the issue is not only discussed in boardrooms and international summits but also on rugby pitches and in classrooms across Kenya.

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The Kenya international has emerged as one of the leading voices in sport-driven climate action, using rugby as a tool to educate communities, reduce plastic waste, and plant trees through his organisation, Play Green.

“Most well-known people who talk about climate change are in North America and Europe, but for us, this is a very relevant conversation. It is not only about future tournaments or big international pledges.

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In Kenya, we see the effects in rising heat, cracked pitches and changing weather in communities where young athletes are growing up,” he told The Guardian.

Wekesa’s environmental journey began before the 2024 Summer Olympics, when Kenya Sevens had been relegated from the top tier of international rugby sevens competition. During that period, he travelled across the country offering free rugby coaching clinics in schools.

Kevin Wekesa © Tabby Nashipae

One particular visit to Kirinyaga, on the slopes of Mount Kenya, became a turning point.

What was expected to be a lush and green environment instead presented an unplayable dry field that forced the cancellation of a rugby session.

Students at the school explained that the dry conditions had persisted for nearly two months, attributing the unfamiliar weather patterns to climate change.

“I thought to myself, if it’s already affecting this level of sport, what about at the highest level?” Wekesa recalled.

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That experience inspired him to establish Play Green in 2023, an initiative aimed at connecting sport with climate action.

The organisation has since gained international recognition, earning Wekesa the 2025 IOC Climate Action Award after successfully introducing reusable water bottles within Kenya’s men’s and women’s national rugby sevens teams.

The initiative has reportedly helped save approximately 1,000 plastic bottles every week.

Wekesa now hopes to expand the campaign beyond the national teams by eliminating single-use plastics in local rugby clubs and tournaments across the country.

“If I can eliminate plastic directly from all the clubs in Kenya, it can eventually grow organically to other sports in the country,” he explained.

His efforts have already attracted the attention of global environmental leaders. In April, Wekesa met Inger Andersen to discuss reducing single-use plastic during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

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Beyond environmental sustainability in sport, Play Green also prioritises climate education in schools.

“We work with children because they are inheriting the climate crisis, not because they are causing it,” Wekesa said.

“Kenyan children have a very small carbon footprint compared to children growing up in high-carbon economies like northern Europe, yet they are often more exposed to the consequences: drought, floods, heat, water shortages, food insecurity, illness and missed school. I am not blaming European children, but I must highlight climate injustices,” he continued.

The initiative encourages children to actively participate in protecting the environment instead of merely viewing them as victims of climate change.

“For me, climate action is practical, visible, and rooted in community, just like rugby. It takes a community to tackle climate action; it is not about pointing fingers,” Wekesa said.

During school visits, Wekesa combines rugby training sessions with climate talks before involving students in tree-planting activities. Each child adopts a tree planted by Play Green and labels it with their name and the year it was planted.

The organisation mainly plants fruit trees such as avocado, mango, and guava to help tackle hunger among school-going children after Wekesa noticed some students were too hungry to participate in rugby sessions.

Kevin Wekesa © Tabby Nashipae

Play Green is also piloting a programme that provides wholegrain porridge to children in vulnerable communities.

The type of trees planted varies depending on the climatic conditions of each region, knowledge Wekesa gained during visits to the Kenya Forest Reserve.

While he acknowledges that tree planting alone cannot solve the climate crisis, he believes it gives children a sense of ownership and belonging while also creating shaded spaces that can be used as outdoor classrooms.

“I remember many times doing a literature lesson under a tree when it was too hot to be in a classroom,” he said.

Throughout May, Wekesa has continued conducting rugby clinics, distributing pre-used rugby balls, and planting fruit trees in 10 schools interested in joining Play Green.

So far, the organisation has held workshops in more than 40 schools across Kenya and planted over 6,200 trees, with some former participants now introducing Play Green programmes in other schools as they advance in their education journey.