Thika Town Today

Thika Town Constituency has launched a training programme to empower the youth on how to find and earn a living online.

In a programme jointly sponsored by area MP Eng. Patrick Wainaina and Google inc., over 500 youth drawn from various colleges and school leavers were on Saturday equipped with skills on how to use YouTube and other online platforms to do business.

“None of you should sit back and expect to get a job in a world where there are more job seekers than the available opportunities. We want you to think out of the box and be job creators especially now that the internet has created so many opportunities,” the MP told the beneficiaries during the inaugural training at Thika High School.

He added that the training was meant to introduce the young people to online work and provide them with tools, training and mentorship they needed to be able to bid for work and earn a decent income.

(See Also: All Thika public schools to get ICT hubs to serve learners, local community.)

The Competition is seeking businesses that are led by the youth, have potential to create jobs, and has potential for growth.

Applications are open from 24 June 2019 to 2 September 2019 via http://mbelenabiz.go.ke/application.php

Wainaina also emphasised that the Thika Biashara Fund will be solely availed to groups interested in generating income and creating employment.

At the same time, the legislator said the constituency NG-CDF kitty has embarked on a programme to establish 'smart-labs' in all public primary schools to expose young learners to use of ICT early in life.

The scheme, which involves installation of computer labs and Wi-Fi, will kick off in a number of schools and eventually reach all the schools under that category.

Thika Town MP Eng. Patrick Wainaina plans to set up Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hubs, fully fitted with interactive digital learning content based, a projector and Wi-Fi in all the public primary schools within the constituency.

While addressing education stakeholders from Thika East and West sub-counties, Wainaina said that there was need to improve digital literacy among the young kids as this would open them up to the world and provide the youth with opportunities for online jobs and services.

“Currently, we have embarked on improving on the schools’ infrastructure and accessibility. Once we are through, we are going to kick-start the construction of computer laboratories for ICT integration in learning. Our computer labs will be complete with a server room, smart boards, projectors and computer hardware fully fitted with interactive digital learning content,” explained the MP.

Wainaina added that over the weekend, the computer labs would be open for use to the members of public but for a small fee for maintenance purposes and enable the host school pay for bills incurred from the use of the facilities.

The forum had drawn participants from senior education officers, teachers, headteachers and principals, BOM and PTA chairpersons from Thika West and Thika East sub-counties.

Thika Town Vendors Company was formed in the year 2010 as a self-help group where each member was obligated to make a mandatory monthly contribution of sh. 500.

According to the Chairman Joseph Muiruri Kimuti, the idea came up after the tribulations they underwent as hawkers and realised that they might end up retiring from the trade with nothing to show after years of “being chased by county government askaris”.

“Initially we were about 60 of us and only contributed for table banking. We later realised that we needed to invest for our old age and we started contributing money for investment,” explained Kimuti.

Kimuti adds that their original plans were to venture into the transport industry but after some soul searching, they opted to venture in real estate where they managed to buy their first piece of land in Kangangu, Gatanga Sub-County for sh. 150,000.

Eventually, the group opted to invest in a more viable plot of land whose value could appreciate faster and offer good quick returns and that is when they bought the plot in Kiganjo for sh. 1 million, all from members’ contributions.

“After saving for 3 years, we approached one of the financial institutions in Thika who gave us a loan of sh. 3.6 million to embark on this project. They later gave us another loan of sh. 6 million that has now enabled us to construct these bedsitters for the ground floor which we hope will be complete in the next one month or so,” said the group chairman.

George Karanja Mwangi, popularly known as “Waneti”, acknowledges that the ground floor is likely to fetch them about sh. 100,000, which will go a long way in offsetting their loan with the bank.

Karanja who is the group’s Finance Officer says that after this first phase of the project, they plan to raise more funds to expand it to a 4-storey flats consisting of bedsitters and one-bed roomed houses.

He attributed their success story to dedication, determination and integrity in the running of affairs of this organisation.

“We are usually very strict with our members. Anyone who fails to abide to the group’s laid down rules and regulations is either fined heavily or ejected from the association. We have also raised the bar so high for the officials to ensure integrity and openness in the running of the affairs of our company,” says Karanja.

While in a tour to the group’s investment, Thika Town MP Eng. Patrick Wainaina was amazed by their zeal and dedication towards investing into their future.

He promised to help them raise about a million shillings to complete the first phase of their project in order to open up their income streams via house rent.

“Through Jungle Foundation, we are ready to guarantee you a loan of thrice what you are able to raise now even if you need sh. 800,000 a million bob tomorrow,” said Wainaina.

He appealed to the government to come up with a loan programme that would extend loans of up to sh. 10 million to such groups payable in 10 years at an interest rate of as low as 3% per annum.

He also encouraged other groups to emulate these hawkers and come up with invest generating investments that will uplift their standards of living.

Thika Town Vendors Company plan to eventually venture in full-time real estate business where they will be buying parcels of land and putting up houses for sale and to let.

“Going forward, we will continue with the process of reforming our organisation designs and structures to be world-class in line with our strategy to transform Bidco Africa into a dynamic and responsive organisation made of fully empowered teams,” he said.

Pedestrians along the Thika superhighway will have to wait until August to get more footbridges installed.

Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has admitted of delays in the importation of Sh 800 million from China, blaming a slower pre-export inspection for the delay in shipping the metal structures.

(Related story: Witeithie, Njomoko to get footbridges beginning January 2018 – KeNHA.)

The authority now says they expect these structures will arrive later this month and be installed in August after their officials inspected the footbridges in China and ready for dispatch.

(See also: Why Njomoko, Witeithie footbridges will cost the taxpayer a whooping KES. 430m.)

Plans to install these footbridges have been on the cards since August 2017 amid questions on when Kenya opted to build the bridges in China.

While speaking when he went to console colleagues and relatives of the Late Alex Mwangi Kaburu who was the immediate Thika East Assistant County Commissioner 1 (ACC 1), Wainaina said that majority of these delays were deliberate as unscrupulous civil servants sought for kickbacks to trigger their processing.

“This country has enough laws governing the transfer of such benefits to the next of kin. Other than cases where there is some family disagreement over who should benefit, most of the delays are artificial as corrupt public servants seek for bribes,” he said.

He promised to assist, where possible, to ensure that the family of the late Kaburu did not undergo this suffering once they commenced the process to follow up his reparation.

He described the late ACC as a dedicated civil servant who was very proactive in executing his duties especially in the empowerment of the youth in Thika East Sub-County.

“He was so passionate in ensuring the youth get into clusters and do productive work so as to deter them from engaging in crime and other social vices,” explained the legislator.

On his part, Thika East Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Thomas Sankei describe his junior as a very dependable civil servant who served wananchi with diligence and total dedication.

“Alex was very instrumental in service delivery especially in the issue of the youth and achieving the government’s Big 4 Agenda goals. We shall really miss him because of his expertise and ability to coordinate various issues,” said Sankei.

The deceased fell ill last Tuesday and rushed to hospital where he died while undergoing treatment at Nairobi West Hospital.

He will be buried on Tuesday 16^th July 2019 at their rural home in Nanyuki.

Kaburu has served in many stations across the country. He has served as the ACC 1 Thika East for the last three years.

Speaking during a visit by the Court Users Committee (CUC) members who were on a familiarisation tour of the facility, Lady Justice Lucy Gacheru assured them of the court’s commitment to expedite all cases before them and especially to clear the backlog inherited from the Nairobi court.

“Previously, all these cases were being handled from Nairobi. We have adjudicated a number of them as we continue receiving new ones from Thika and Kiambu. I urge all those with any land cases to make full use of this court,” said Justice Gacheru.

She thanked Kiambu County Government for donating the facility to the judiciary saying that this has gone a long way in the administration of justice both in environmental disputes as well as in cases involving land ownership.

“I would like to personally thank the governor (Ferdinand Waititu) for donating the chambers to us. We can never take that for granted. Likewise, in the spirit of Public-Private Partnership, I urge the local community to work hand in hand with us as we work on the pending renovations and improvements,” she said.

Alfred Wanyoike, who led the civilian CUC team visiting the court, promised to mobilise community support to help it serve the people better and with speed.

“We will accord your team maximum support and go an extra mile to mobilise for resources to ensure this place is more habitable and well equipped to serve our people,” said Wanyoike, who is also the Thika District Business Association (TDBA) Chairman.

Madam Gladys Chania donated a cabinet to help the court store their documents.

The CUC is the link between the judiciary and the public who are the key stakeholders in judicial administration.

In 2006, the Judiciary came up with the idea of having CUCs to address the frustration over the shroud of mystery that has continued to surround the Judiciary and judicial processes.  

The Thika ELC was started in 2017 to deal with disputes relating to land administration and management as well as environmental cases within Kiambu County.

It is located directly opposite the Thika Sub-County Stadium's main gate.

It has the same status as the High Court and has original and appellate jurisdiction to hear and determine all disputes in accordance with Article 162(2)(b) of the Constitution and with the provisions of  Act or any other written law relating to  environment and land.

The court is also empowered to hear cases relating to public, private and community land and contracts, chooses in action or other instruments granting any enforceable interests in land. It also exercises appellate jurisdiction over the decisions of subordinate courts or local tribunals in respect of matters falling within the jurisdiction of the Court.

The man (name withheld to protect the minor’s identity), who is the maternal uncle to the girl, is said to have repeatedly committed the act for quite a long period.

According to the victim who is now in nursery school, the uncle started sexually abusing her even before she joined school.

The victim’s mother is so addicted to alcoholism and barely takes care of her 5 children aged between 11 years and the youngest who is 7 months old.

“These children survive by the grace of God and with the help of neighbours. The mother comes home drunk every day and entertains different men in the house in the presence of these minors,” explained one of the concerned neighbours.

The eldest of the siblings, who is in Standard three, irregularly attends school as in most of the times he is burdened with the responsibility of taking care of his younger siblings as the mother is away taking cheap alcohol in neighbouring chang’aa dens in the estate and in Majengo area.

“Last week, I never attended school since I was the one taking care of my three siblings,” explains the 11-year old.

A concerned resident over the weekend reported the matter to us after which we engaged Madam Gladys Chania who took the initiative to rescue the kids.

Through the help of the Thika Children’s Office, she managed to secure a place for them at Macheo Children’s Home in Gatuanyaga, Thika East Sub-County.

“Unfortunately, the mother has managed to sneak away with one of the children but we won’t rest until he too is rescued and taken to a safe place. It’s very sad to see a mother drown in alcoholism as it is the children who suffer most,” said Chania.

She further explained that one of the girls was taken away from the mother to live with her aunt in Munyu village after they feared for her safety in the hands of drunk men who frequented their home for sexual escapades with the mother.

Chania appealed to residents to be on the lookout on such cases in their midst and raise alarm as this would be the only way to save them. She also condemned those who traded in cheap liquor as their activities ruined so many homes.

“What will one gain by exposing such innocent kids to danger in the name of earning a living? The suffering and tears from these kids will definitely come back to you and your children,” she said.

She challenged those in authority to crash these illegal liquor dens as they also contributed to a surge in insecurity in the area.

Tuta Mionki Aka Mwari Wa Thika is a Human Resource Practitioner by profession she has curved a niche in Motor Sport entering the history books as Kenya’s first woman navigator to join Kenya National Rallying Championship Premier Class Motor rallying.  She offers her advice to the youth who are would keep saying that there are no jobs to take it upon themselves and take up an opportunity that comes along. She believes that like to the only way to combat the negative perception about lack of jobs in Kenya is pursue whatever one is passionate about with a lot of enthusiasm.

The proximity of Thika Town to Nairobi and other environs, the fact that you cannot walk a few metres without bumping into somebody you know and vice versa, there is also the influx of leading retail brands and eateries that are common in Nairobi.

3. What would like to change about Thika? 

I wish our town would be cleaner, there is need to also revamp our buildings especially areas around Workshop Road where we still have buildings that were erected in the 50’s still up there is a huge contrast when you compare them with what you see when coming into town via Gatitu area. Roads within estates such as Kimathi need to be repaired it’s such an eye sore.  How I wish we could regain Thika’s status of being the Birmingham of Kenyan too.

4. What three things would you say to sell Thika as a place is worth visiting?

They should visit Thika Town because there are plenty of recreational sites such as Thika and Chania Falls at Blue Post when it rains properly, Thika has the best Pork eateries, as well as quite vibrant entertainment culture, though I wish we would have a movie theatre here too.

   

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