Kena crowned Miss Earth 2023, becomes lead global advocate for climate change

Zambia’s Kena Chibuye has been crowned Miss Earth 2023, an accolade that makes her a lead global advocate in the fight against climate change.

Speaking in an interview on arrival from Manila, Philippines, where she received the accolade recently, Kena said she would work closely with Ministry of Green Economy and Environment to drive the national climate change mitigation and adaptation agenda.

“This role will include sensitization on biodegradable waste disposal because this is among the major threats to global environment today, you find that a situation where not all waste is recycled and that
which is unrecycled is indiscriminately disposed of and threatens the environment,” she explained.

She said her role would include working with education sector stakeholders to create a mindset shift in a way that the young population looked at waste.

“We also need to look at how animal and human life can co-exist, especially now that we are in an era where human-animal conflict is prominent, so I will be working closely with the Ministry of Tourism
to address this concern,” she said.

Kena said all forms of life were important, hence the need for stakeholder collaboration in ensuring a safe, clean and green environment for nature to survive.

Kena was also crowned Miss Earth Zambia 2021.
Apart from climate change adaptation and mitigation advocacy, Kena was also a philanthropist who undertakes a number of community social
outreach programmes.

She said some of the other projects she had executed included clearing debris at Ngwerere stream and speaking for the voiceless and different-abled persons.

Meanwhile, Kena had showered praise on her manager, Naomi Banda, for making her dream come true.

“I wish to take this opportunity to thank my manager Naomi for being there for me and for believing in me during the hectic times of preparations, I had wrote to different managers to manage me since I wasn’t from Lusaka, all of them refused but she took me in,” she said.

Kena, who was a Mkushi based secondary school teacher, says her hope was that Banda, whom she described as a true friend and manager, would continue doing it for every girl who had lost hope but needs direction.

The Mss Earth Pageant was one that focused on projects aimed at preserving and protecting the earth from vices that would otherwise compromise the safety of its inhabitants.

Contributed by HARBGUY MWAMBAZI

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