Kitui Green Run: Every Step Counts, Running for Rain, Water and a Sustainable Future

By JOSPHAT KEBUT

 

“There are races that end at the finish line. Then there are races whose real purpose begins long after the runners have stopped.”

 

Those words by the patron of the Kitui Green Run, renowned environmentalist, conservationist and sustainability advocate Dr Isaack Kalua Green, capture the deeper purpose of a race that is challenging Kitui and the world to rethink the meaning of water security, environmental conservation and sustainable development.

 

On 31 May 2026, Kitui ran, but this was not simply a race against the clock. Across the 21KM course, every stride carried a bigger message about the urgent need for water security, environmental conservation in a county that has for years grappled with water scarcity.

 

The Patron of the inaugural Kitui Green Run, Dr Kalua, founder of the Green Africa Foundation, sought to demonstrate how sport can become a powerful platform for social and environmental transformation. His vision was clear: use athletics not merely to entertain, but to mobilise communities, attract investment, promote science and inspire practical solutions to Kitui’s water challenges.

 

 

On that sunny Sunday morning,by the way my very first time in Kitui County, I witnessed athletes, residents, families, conservationists, corporate organisations and invited guests converging at Ithookwe Stadium, which served as the starting and finishing point of the race.

 

Before the runners took to the course, Dr Kalua, being the patron had to receive guests and other dignitaries at the nearby Ithookwe Airstrip where  alongside the dignitaries and partners, made a walk towards the start of the race placed between the airstrip and the Ithookwe stadium.

 

It was more than a ceremonial walk because it represented the beginning of a movement aimed at bringing hope and, ultimately, water closer to the community that need it most. It set the tone for a race whose significance would extend far beyond the kilometres covered by the athletes.

 

Under the banner Run For Rain, the race placed Kitui’s water challenge at the centre of a national and global conversation. The Patron quoted the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, which placed at 21% Kitui’s population that has access to at least basic drinking water, compared with 68 nationally.

 

 

This may look just like numbers but behind the statistic are families spending hours searching for water, children missing school and farmers struggling to sustain their livelihoods. Reliable water means better health, education, food security and greater opportunities for families and communities to thrive.

 

That is why Run For Rain is about much more than running.

“Kitui Green Run is therefore more than sport. Run For Rain is its global rallying cry, connecting athletic excellence, clean sport, science, tourism and accountable investment around one conviction: every step should leave value behind,” Dr Kalua says.

 

The campaign has already demonstrated what that philosophy can mean on the ground through a remarkable community experience involving a family that had previously received a donkey to help ease the burden of transporting water.

 

We were informed that, Green Africa Foundation assessed water needs along the 21KM race corridor, where a more sustainable possibility emerged that would help solve the family’s water puzzle.

 

In collaboration with RainBank Intelligence, Green Africa Foundation’s specialised aquifer identification system, the team identified a potential water bearing source on the family’s land. The information guided drilling, and water was eventually reached, demonstrating the difference between helping communities cope with water scarcity and investing in solutions that address the challenge at its source.

 

“The donkey helped a family reach water. Run For Rain is helping water reach a community,” Dr Kalua said.

 

He acknowledges that one borehole cannot solve Kitui’s water crisis, but argues that the ambition must be much bigger. The goal is to mobilise science, communities, government, investors, conservationists and development partners to create sustainable water solutions that can serve communities across the county.

 

 

 

The energy at Ithookwe Stadium on that day, reflected that wider ambition as children participated in the Rain Kids Dash, families joined the Family Water Walk, while companies and organisations took part in the Corporate Rain Relay. For a few hours, the stadium became more than a sporting venue as people of different ages and backgrounds came together around a shared cause.

 

The organisers also recognised Community Water Stewardship Champions and Run For Rain Ambassadors, honouring individuals whose contribution extends beyond race day and into the responsibility of protecting water resources and advancing environmental initiatives.

 

The vision is also growing, with plans underway to expand the race from 21KM to a full 42KM marathon. The expansion is expected to create a broader platform for sports tourism, environmental awareness, community participation and investment in Kitui while giving the Run For Rain campaign greater national and international visibility.

 

Speaking during the Kitui Green Run award ceremony in Nairobi this August, Dr Kalua reinforced the long term ambition of the campaign, saying,

 

“Run For Rain is not asking the world to fund another race. It is inviting the world to run through a living corridor of transformation and leave behind a measurable water legacy.”

 

As athletes stepped onto the podium, the medals celebrated speed, endurance and athletic achievement, but beyond the podium was a much bigger prize, a growing movement around water, sustainability and community transformation.

 

For Kitui, the ultimate finish line is not the finish line because the real measure of success will be seen when carrying water over long distances becomes a memory rather than a daily reality. As the race grows from 21KM to 42KM, the hope is that the distance communities travel to find water will become shorter.

 

As I left Kitui for Nairobi, one message remained clear: every step must count, and every step must bring water closer to the people who need it most. Now that the inaugural winners have received their medals, the first edition race may be over, but the mission is far from complete.

 

Dr. Isaack Kalua Green says that the  journey does not end when the runners leave the course, that is where the real work begins. His call is simple yet powerful: Think Green. Act Green. Run for Rain.

 

 

The ambition is for the Kitui Green Run to become more than a race measured by kilometres, but to become a movement measured by the lives it touches, the communities it transforms and the water solutions it helps unlock.

 

The finish line is therefore only the beginning because the real victory will be seen when communities have reliable water closer to home, when families carry fewer jerrycans over long distances, when children spend more time in school and when every stride leaves behind a lasting legacy.

 

In Kitui, the real race is for water.