Mongabay launches Swahili platform to expand access to environmental journalism in East Africa
By Victoria Musimbi
Communities across East Africa are facing the growing impacts of climate change, from devastating floods to prolonged droughts.
Yet much of the information explaining these changes remains in scientific reports, policy documents, or technical discussions that many people on the frontline cannot fully understand.
This gap between scientific knowledge and public understanding limits communities’ ability to respond effectively. Citizens already experiencing climate shocks often lack the tools to understand the causes or prepare for future risks.
To bridge this divide, global environmental news platform Mongabay has launched a Swahili-language platform to expand access to environmental journalism, reaching millions of Swahili speakers across East and Central Africa.
The platform was officially launched in Nairobi, bringing together journalists, conservationists, policymakers, and environmental experts to discuss the role of language, technology, and storytelling in strengthening environmental reporting.
Language as a bridge between science and communities
Former BBC journalist and media consultant Ann Ngugi emphasized the role of language in environmental journalism. Communities most affected by climate change are often excluded from discussions because vital information does not reach them in languages they understand.
“Many people see floods simply as bad weather,” Ngugi said, referencing recent flooding in Nairobi.
“Yet these events are connected to larger issues such as climate change and environmental degradation. If communities do not understand what is happening, they cannot prepare, and if they cannot prepare, the information becomes powerless.”
Drawing from over two decades of reporting in Swahili, Ngugi said environmental discussions often take place in global conferences and technical reports, failing to connect with the everyday realities of people across Africa.
“Many of the people affected by floods and droughts are women selling vegetables, boda boda riders, and small traders who may never read climate reports explaining why these disasters are becoming more frequent,” she said.
“Yet they are the first to suffer the consequences.”
Ngugi argued for “information justice,” asserting that communities across Africa should have equal access to accurate climate information.
“Information justice means that a farmer in Malava, a herder in Kajiado, a fisherman on Lake Victoria and a miraa farmer in Meru should have the same right to accurate climate information as a scientist in London or New York,” she said.
She recounted reporting on drought in Amboseli National Park in 2023, where she found an elephant that had died from hunger linked to climate change, illustrating the need to include local communities in environmental discussions.
Ngugi also highlighted a community initiative in Kakamega Forest, where women plant indigenous trees and herbs along the forest boundary to protect the ecosystem.
“These women are not university professors,” she said. “But they are professors of the forest. They understand that conservation is not an abstract concept it is about survival.”
She cautioned against the growing influence of artificial intelligence in spreading misinformation and stressed the importance of connecting scientific explanations to the lived experiences of citizens.
“When environmental journalism speaks in the language of the people, information becomes understanding, understanding becomes action, and action becomes change,” she said.
Telling conservation stories beyond research
Nancy Githaiga, Country Director for the African Wildlife Foundation in Kenya, said the Swahili platform offers an opportunity to bring conservation stories closer to communities.
The foundation, operating for nearly six decades, focuses on wildlife conservation, supporting communities living alongside wildlife, and strengthening African leadership in conservation.
“Wildlife conservation is what most people know us for,” Githaiga said. “But we also work with communities to strengthen the resilience of the landscapes they depend on while ensuring that Africans themselves become the leading voices in conservation.”
She explained that many research findings often remain confined to academic or policy circles, limiting their broader impact.
“Communicating conservation in Swahili helps reach ordinary people, including rural communities, because conservation is not an abstract concept it is about protecting water, soil, and ecosystems people depend on,” she said.
Githaiga also noted the growth of Kenya’s elephant population to about 36,000 animals, highlighting the importance of wildlife corridors and careful land-use planning.
“From a scientific perspective, it is often cheaper to safeguard ecosystems that still exist than to restore those already degraded,” she said.
Expanding environmental journalism across Africa
David Akana, Director of Programs at Mongabay Africa, said the Swahili platform is a milestone in expanding environmental journalism across the continent.
Though Mongabay has reported on African environmental issues for years, its Africa bureau was formally established only three years ago, now including about 20 staff and over 150 contributors. Globally, the network has more than 150 staff and 1,000 contributors.
“Swahili is spoken by about 200 million people across East Africa,” Akana said. “If we want communities engaged in environmental conversations, we must communicate in languages they understand.”
The platform will not operate only as a website; it will work with local partners to reach communities on the ground. Conservation efforts must involve local and Indigenous communities who are frontline ecosystem stewards.
Mongabay is partnering with MESHA (Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture) and building collaborations with Kenyan media houses and academic institutions including the University of Nairobi and Aga Khan University.
These partnerships aim to strengthen environmental journalism, support research-based reporting, and build a sustainable network of environmental storytellers.
“The intention is to anchor and domesticate the organization in Kenya,” Akana said. “We do not want to be a flying institution. We want to be grounded in local institutions and communities.”
Government welcomes initiative
Temesi Mukani, Secretary for Information and Broadcasting, delivered a speech on behalf of Eng. John Kipchumba Tanui, CBS, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, highlighting the importance of credible and science-based journalism in enabling informed public understanding and decision-making.
He said the launch of the Swahili platform aligns with Kenya’s Digital Superhighway agenda, which aims to expand connectivity and digital infrastructure nationwide. As the government rolls out more than 100,000 kilometers of fiber optic infrastructure and establishes digital hubs, access to reliable and credible information will become increasingly critical for communities.
“Although Africa contributes less than four percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it remains among the regions most vulnerable to climate impacts,” he said. “Responsible storytelling helps translate complex scientific information into accessible knowledge for communities and equips them to make informed decisions on climate adaptation and conservation.”
He emphasized that digital platforms in local languages empower citizens to engage with environmental issues, hold decision-makers accountable, and participate in solutions that affect their lives directly.
He warned about the growing threat of misinformation and disinformation on environmental issues in the digital age.
“We are living in a time when information travels faster than verification,” he said. “Credible journalism therefore plays a critical role in protecting the integrity of public discourse, strengthening democracy, and fostering sustainable development.”
He added that technology and artificial intelligence can further support journalism through translation, fact-checking, and data analysis if used responsibly and ethically, ensuring accurate reporting and empowering citizens with trustworthy information.
Building a stronger environmental storytelling ecosystem
Speakers agreed that environmental challenges cannot be addressed by governments alone and require collaboration between journalists, scientists, policymakers, civil society organizations, and communities.
By publishing environmental stories in Swahili, the Mongabay platform aims to make climate information more accessible, strengthen public understanding, and empower communities to participate more actively in conservation and climate solutions across East Africa.
