UN award big honour

Two young men have done the country proud by winning international accolades for their initiatives in fighting poverty and other socio-economic woes. A progressive farmer has been feted by the United Nations, while the other, a rugby player, is also hogging the limelight for excellence.

Both were honoured during the 2026 UN in Kenya Person of the Year award for what were described as their “exceptional contributions to sustainable development and community empowerment”.

Mr Bornface Otieno Owino, a 29-year-old farmer from Homa Bay County, is the UN Person of the Year. He is the first person under the age of 30 to win the award. He was feted for using climate-smart agriculture to fight poverty, boost rural livelihoods, and create economic opportunities for youth and women. His work directly advances the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The award runner-up, Kevin Wekesa, 26, is a Kenyan Rugby Sevens international star. He caught the judges’ attention because of the impact of his initiative, Play Green, a sport-for-sustainability venture that is driving climate action and environmental conservation. He uses his platform to promote tree planting, eliminate plastic waste, encourage recycling, and champion eco-friendly travel during sporting events.

Mr Owino has demonstrated to fellow young people that it is quite possible to depend on agriculture for food, income and employment, instead of the obsession with seeking jobs in urban areas. Through his enterprise, he has been able to reach for training and mentorship some 12,674 farmers, 81 per cent of them being young people. The recognition of Mr Wekesa as the runner-up indicates that young Kenyans who influence development and progress across diverse fields such as athletics can drive environmental conservation and social change.

The achievements of these two innovative young men should serve as an inspiration to many other fellow Kenyans to contribute to solving socio-economic problems.

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