From despising her father's nursery to becoming Kenya's youngest global climate negotiator
Patricia Kombo in this photo taken during the UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last year. At the event, she represented youth as a land negotiator.
What you need to know:
- At just 27, Patricia Kombo has transformed from a young girl who despised working in her father's tree nursery into one of Africa's most powerful voices in climate action.
- She is one of the youngest global land negotiator.
- A life-changing visit to drought-stricken Turkana in 2019 inspired her to establish the PaTree Initiative, through which she empowers women and children with sustainable land-use practices while advocating for their rights at international forums.
Patricia Kombo is a force of nature in Kenya's fight against the climate crisis.
"I am determined to leave this world better than I found it," says the passionate environmental advocate, speaking from the bustling corridors of last year's United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
As founder of the PaTree Initiative, Patricia says she has planted more than 10,000 trees across Kenya, inspiring a new generation of environmental stewards along the way.
But her vision extends far beyond planting trees. She is passionate about bridging the information gap on climate change, working tirelessly to empower both young and elderly women, along with children from Kenya's grassroots communities. Her work focuses on sustainable land-use practices, land ownership rights, and conservation knowledge.
Her own story begins in Mbooni, a region blessed with rich biodiversity.
"My childhood was filled with endless adventures, surrounded by nature, wild fruits, and the famous Utangwa River," she recalls with a smile.
"That river was our favourite stop-over from school, and on weekends, we'd spend hours swimming there."
Yet, ironically, young Patricia wasn't always enthusiastic about her environmental heritage.
"I used to hate the April and December holidays," she confesses. "I wished I had been born and raised in town instead. My father was a timber seller, which meant I had to work in his tree nursery, growing trees – something I honestly despised at the time."
Even at the tender age of six, while her own environmental consciousness was still 'germinating', Patricia had mastered the art of nurturing seedlings. She learned to scout for seeds, dry them carefully, prepare nursery beds, and manage the delicate saplings.
"It was my first real connection with nature," she tells nation.africa, "though back then, it felt more like a chore – something I did simply because it was expected of me, as regular as clockwork."
But it was a visit to Turkana in 2019 that would transform this reluctant tree-tender into a passionate environmental advocate. The experience shook her to her core and redirected her life's purpose.
"I travelled to Turkana with four of my classmates to volunteer with the 'Kenyans for Kenya' initiative," she recalls, her voice softening.
"What we encountered there was devastating. The region was ravaged by drought, and we witnessed first-hand the brutal impact of extreme weather conditions – widespread starvation, destroyed livelihoods, and pervasive insecurity."
The experience catalysed the birth of the PaTree Initiative. "Everything I saw there – every suffering face, every withered plant – remains deeply imprinted in my DNA," Patricia says.
"It drives my mission to raise awareness about sustainable land use practices and train communities in climate change adaptation and mitigation. This isn't just about environmental conservation anymore; it's about creating resilient solutions for our people's survival."
Patricia (in pink jacket) in a group photo of the Kenyan delegation to UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. On her right is Kenya's Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale.
The fortnight Patricia spent in Turkana left an indelible mark on her consciousness.
"Drought is humanity's most severe and traumatic experience," she says, her voice heavy with emotion.
"Imagine enduring temperatures above 40 degrees every day, scorching your skin, in a place where three meals a day is nothing but a pipe dream. Women walk for hours through dangerous terrain searching for water, with no guarantee of finding any that's clean. Those images of starvation, those dry, sullen faces stripped of hope – they haunt me still. They're a stark reminder that hunger is mankind's cruellest punishment."
Her eyes distant with remembrance, she continues: "Each morning greets you with fresh horrors – carcasses of dead livestock, malnourished children, not a patch of shade in sight. The wind howls mercilessly, destroying homes, while sand and loose soil assault your eyes. Lives are lost, children drop out of school, and desperate families are forced to migrate. Living in drought-stricken land is like being trapped in a nightmare – you go to sleep hoping to wake to something better, but each day brings the same harsh reality."
Patricia, who is now the youngest global land negotiator, bristles at any suggestion that communities simply adapt to such extreme conditions. "That's adding insult to injury," she says firmly. "No one should ever have to 'get used to' such suffering."
The stark reality of Turkana cast her own childhood in a new light, making her acutely aware of how 'ungrateful' she had been for her nature-rich upbringing.
"Something shifted inside me during those days in Turkana," she reflects. "A conviction grew in my heart, and an inner voice that kept getting louder and louder, demanding action. That's how the PaTree Initiative was born – not just to plant trees, but to give hope to children, to teach them resilience, and to train communities in sustainable land use practices. Most importantly, we needed to influence policy to accelerate our response to these devastating droughts."
But Patricia soon realised that good intentions alone weren't enough. To create real change, she needed a seat at the decision-making tables.
"I had to speak for these children," she says with quiet determination. "I had to voice their anxiety about inheriting degraded lands."
This realisation led her back to the classroom. Understanding that effective advocacy requires expertise, she enrolled for a master's degree in Climate Change and Adaptation. It was a strategic move to equip herself with the knowledge needed to influence environmental policy at the highest levels.
Her advocacy has already made significant inroads in Kenya's climate policy landscape. She serves on the youth consultation team for the National Climate Change Action Plan (2023-2027) and helps shape the implementation of the country's nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to combat climate change.
These contributions are no mere bureaucratic exercise. As the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) emphasises, they form the backbone of the Paris Agreement and its ambitious global goals.
"NDCs embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change," the UNFCCC explains.
Under the Paris Agreement, every nation, including Kenya, must outline its post-2020 climate actions through these NDCs. Collectively, these commitments chart the world's path toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions, aiming to reach peak levels as soon as possible before implementing rapid reductions. The ultimate goal is to achieve a careful balance between human-caused emissions and their removal from the atmosphere by the century's latter half.
Patricia's influence extends well beyond Kenya's borders. Her powerful voice has resonated at major international forums, including the UNCCD COP 15 in Ivory Coast, where she delivered key youth statements at the opening session. She took centre stage as a keynote speaker at the World Day to Combat Drought and Desertification in Spain, and made her mark at the UN Conference of Parties (COP 27) in Egypt in 2022, where she addressed the launch of the National Drought Alliance by the Spanish and Senegalese governments.
Her tireless advocacy for marginalised women, youth and children has not gone unnoticed. The Finnish mission in Kenya awarded her an honorary diploma for her work in promoting environmental literacy and sustainable land-use practices in rural communities. This recognition followed a string of prestigious accolades: the International Visitors Fellowship Program (IVLP) at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the title of UNCCD Land Hero, and being named 2021 Youth of the Year in the environment category.
"My vision is clear," Patricia declared during our interview in Riyadh. "I want to inspire change and make the world a better place for future generations. Through the PaTree Initiative, I'm not just planting trees—I'm sowing seeds of hope for a sustainable future."
Resilience strategies
Her approach is comprehensive and collaborative. She advocates for robust drought mitigation and resilience strategies in Kenya, emphasising the need for early warning systems and long-term interventions.
"We need meaningful partnerships between developed and developing nations," she explains, "both for technical expertise and financial support. But most importantly, we must empower local communities with the resources and tools they need to adapt to and mitigate climate change impacts."
At UNCCD COP16, Patricia's passion for land conservation took on an additional dimension. Speaking with the authority of both a woman and a farmer, she challenged the prevailing narrative about women in climate discussions.
"It deeply pains me when I read negotiation texts that merely label women as victims of drought and stop there," she says, her voice carrying a note of frustration. "That's not just an oversimplification—it's an insult."
"We must recognise women as agents of resilience and champions of restoration," she insists. "The majority of restoration work in rural areas is led and spearheaded by women, yet they continue to face restrictive social norms. Access to land ownership and restoration resources remains one of our greatest challenges."
Land degradation
As a trained youth land negotiator at the UNCCD COP in Riyadh, she found herself in a unique position to influence change. "I'm closely following discussions on gender, land tenure and private partnerships because these issues directly affect millions of restoration champions," she explains. "It's encouraging to see youth finally having a seat at the negotiations table, being well represented at the highest decision-making level."
Speaking of Kenya's stance at the conference, her voice takes on added urgency.
"We're calling on UNCCD member states to urgently develop a comprehensive drought protocol with new financial instruments. These are vital for addressing the drought, desertification and land degradation issues that Africa faces," she emphasises.
"Remember, our continent is responsible for less than four per cent of global emissions. The UN reports are clear – we're bearing the brunt of a crisis we didn't create."
Her final words cut to the heart of the matter: "I'm here in Riyadh to speak for all the women who are grappling with untold suffering. The climate crisis is fundamentally a gender issue. In any household, when a child or man is hungry, it's the woman they turn to for food. That's the reality we're fighting to change."