Environmental Protection and Personal Safety
Millicent Olal Muchilwa is more than an activist; she is the North Basin Lake Victoria Waterkeeper in Kenya, a civic educator, a human rights defender standing at the intersection of ecological and historical land injustices, and a mother. While Lake Victoria serves as a lifeblood for millions, it has become a battleground for untreated industrial effluent, illegal sand harvesting, and a lack of governmental transparency.
In this episode, Millicent discusses the "long haul" of environmental litigation and the danger of speaking truth to power in a region where dissent is often met with force. While her children provided the final spark that pulled her back into the front lines, it is Millicent’s decades of community organizing and legal due process that are turning local challenges into systemic opportunities for restoration.
Creators and Guests
Host
Thomas Hynes
Thomas Hynes is the Communications and Marketing Manager for Waterkeeper Alliance. In addition to podcast hosting and production duties, he manages and writes all sorts of editorial content for the organization, including blogs, feature articles, advocacy alerts, email campaigns, social media content, and more. Thomas grew up on the Long Island Sound in Connecticut and now makes his home two blocks from the East River in Brooklyn, New York. He primarily commutes across the river to the Waterkeeper Alliance office via ferry boat. Thomas was drawn to environmental work in order to take an active role in the fight against climate change and help bring justice to the rotten polluters who seek to ruin our shared resources. Before working at Waterkeeper Alliance, Thomas wrote a nonfiction book about the history of wildlife in New York City. "Wild City" also highlights the power and success of the Clean Water Act, and other environmental regulations, in leading an unlikely ecological turnaround. In his spare time, Thomas photographs the many tugboats traversing the city’s various waterways. Thomas lives in Brooklyn with his wife and their son. They can be found most weekends walking or biking along the East River.
Producer
Lori Harrison
Lori Harrison is the Communications and Marketing Director for Waterkeeper Alliance. She oversees multi-faceted communications and marketing activities to advance the organization’s mission of protecting our right to clean water in communities around the world. With 25 years of experience in strategic water communications and mission-based work, Lori is an award-winning writer and content creator. Her expertise lies in translating complex concepts into relatable ideas, fostering engagement, and promoting sustainable practices and solutions. Her work not only aims to protect clean water, public health, and the environment but also focuses on "connecting the disconnect" between people and this essential resource. Before joining Waterkeeper Alliance, Lori had a background in corporate marketing for professional sports and held various communications and creative positions with a non-profit educational organization for global water professionals. Notable achievements include creating the WATER'S WORTH IT® grassroots awareness campaign and writing the award-winning children's book, “Why Water's Worth It,” designed to educate and inspire the next generation of water protectors. Lori lives in Virginia with her husband and their two children.
Guest
Millicent Olal Muchilwa
Millicent Olal Muchilwa is the North Basin Lake Victoria Waterkeeper in Kenya. Millicent has dedicated herself to working with local communities over the years to address challenges and turn those same challenges into opportunities. She is a mother, civic educator, and community organizer who has been working to address historical land and ecological injustices that have negatively impacted the community. She obtained a B.A. Hons in Economics from the University of Nairobi.
