Every year, Kenyan publishers flood social media platforms with glossy posters wishing their clients a “Happy Mazingira Day.” The images are breathtaking—lush green forests, sparkling rivers, birds in flight, and perfectly designed eco-friendly messages in elegant fonts. Yet behind this polished façade lies a deep irony: many of these same publishers have never produced a single book, story, or children’s reader promoting environmental conservation. Their public relations effort is hollow—a showy ritual that exposes how commercial optics has replaced genuine commitment to education and sustainability.
The hypocrisy is glaring. Publishers such as Intensive, Mentor, Spotlight, Oxford, Made Familiar, Moran, and others are quick to post environmental greetings but slow to act. They spend handsomely on digital campaigns while their catalogues remain barren of meaningful eco-literature. It is preaching water and taking wine, offering cheap lip service to the environment while doing the bare minimum to educate or inspire real change.
The Kenyan publishing industry has long been tied to the school curriculum. Publishers compete fiercely for Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) approval so their books can be used in schools. This has created a narrow, exam-driven focus that revolves around what can be sold rather than what can transform minds. When it comes to environmental education, this short-sightedness is painfully evident. Apart from brief mentions in science or social studies textbooks, few publishers have invested in titles that could nurture a love for nature or awareness of sustainability among learners.
Instead of producing engaging stories about conservation, climate action, or sustainable living, publishers prefer to spend money on social media campaigns that portray them as environmentally conscious. It is performative activism at its most refined—a performance designed not to spark thought but to polish image. On Mazingira Day, these companies post poetic quotes about the Earth’s beauty, yet their catalogues remain silent about protecting that beauty. It is as if they want to celebrate a harvest they never planted.
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Kenya’s environmental challenges are real and urgent. From deforestation in the Mau Forest to the pollution of Nairobi River and the choking of Lake Victoria by plastic waste, the evidence is all around us. The young generation needs not just facts and figures but stories that connect them emotionally to these issues. Where are the novels about children fighting to save a forest? Where are the illustrated readers about recycling or poetry anthologies about rivers and mountains? If publishers were truly committed to the spirit of Mazingira Day, their bookshelves would be filled with such works—written in both English and Kiswahili—to cultivate environmental literacy at every level.
Ironically, Kenya does not lack capable writers. Teachers, poets, and emerging authors have the passion and insight to write beautifully about nature. What is missing is the will from publishers to take risks on such projects. They often argue that environmental titles will not sell because they are not examinable. But that logic collapses when we remember that these same publishers invest in expensive coffee-table books and souvenir publications that have no classroom market either. When prestige or profit is guaranteed, they spend freely. Why not channel the same creativity and resources toward environmental education—a cause more vital than corporate vanity?
Publishing is not merely a business; it is a cultural act. It shapes what a nation reads, dreams, and becomes. By neglecting environmental publishing, Kenyan publishers are failing in their moral and social duty. They are also missing a golden opportunity to lead. Globally, there is growing demand for books addressing climate change and sustainability, especially for young readers. African children deserve to see their own landscapes, challenges, and solutions reflected in these narratives. Instead of importing foreign books about polar bears and icy tundras, Kenyan publishers could be producing stories about the Athi River, the Aberdares, and the savannahs—stories that speak directly to our children’s lived realities.
The Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) provides a perfect opportunity for innovation. It emphasizes practical learning and values like environmental stewardship. Publishers could develop readers, activity books, and digital materials that promote recycling, tree planting, water conservation, and responsible consumption. Yet many cling to the old profit-driven model. Their glossy Mazingira Day posters are thus nothing but greenwashing—a shallow attempt to look modern and caring while offering little of substance.
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This hypocrisy is particularly disappointing because publishers are, at their core, educators. Their work reaches classrooms, homes, and communities. When they pretend to care about the environment only through decorative posters, they teach the wrong lesson—that caring for the Earth is about optics, not action. They reinforce the dangerous idea that awareness is enough, that words can replace deeds. Real change comes from engagement—from publishing ideas that move readers to think differently, act responsibly, and imagine a sustainable future.
Kenya needs a new publishing culture—one that places values and vision above short-term profit. Publishers should begin by auditing their catalogues: how many of their titles promote environmental thinking? How many feature local ecosystems and conservation heroes? If the answer is none, then no amount of graphic design on Mazingira Day can mask their emptiness. They should partner with schools, NGOs, and writers to develop a new generation of eco-literature that informs, inspires, and empowers learners. Imagine if every Kenyan child read at least one storybook a year about caring for the environment—that alone could shift national attitudes.
The problem is not that publishers design posters; it is that they confuse performance with purpose. True environmental consciousness cannot be expressed through pixels on a screen—it must live in the pages of books that reach children, teachers, and parents. Until Kenyan publishers commit to that, their Mazingira Day greetings will remain hollow: green on the surface, but grey at the core.
By Ashford Kimani
Ashford teaches English and Literature in Gatundu North Sub-county and serves as Dean of Studies.
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