River Rutui in Kenya's Kirinyaga District is the lifeline of thousands of people.  It has seven micro-hydo power plants; five are operational and two are about to become operational.  The river has 55 registered water intakes, serves seven private organizations, including three coffee factories and thousands of farmers.  For most people in the District, quantifying the value of the river is simple: "It is our life," they tell you.
 
For several years, life was being chocked out of this lifeline river.  Concerned about its future, the community set the River Rutui Riverine Association (RRRA), but struggled to identify and implement appropriate inteventions to stop the river's death.  None-the-less, the community must be credited for having stemmed the pollution of the river.  Their greatest challenge was the deforestation of the area around the river.
 
Africa Harvest, working closely with the community and various stakeholders - including the RRRA, the Kenya Forestry Service (KFS) and the Water Resource Management Authority (WRMA) -  have worked hard to re-forest the area around the river.  Already 25,000 indigenous treees have been planted.  The goal is to rehabilitate certain portions of the river and create a model thatcan be replicates for the rest of the river and in other places where such problems exist.  The project is part of the Ministry of Energy's strategy to access electricity to more Kenyans while taking care of the environment.  It is an example of what can happen when multiple stakeholders work together on a common challenge.