Thika Town Today

The COV-AID Graduate Student Mini-Grants by the Talloires Network of Engaged Universities and the Open Society University Network will also enable these students distribute the lamps to kiosks, informal roadside stalls, community service points (such as bathrooms, toilets, and water points)  and to security officers.

Rose Macharia, an Information Technology student, Nelly Kayanda, a counselling psychology student  and Daniel Kiriti, a Governance and Ethics student will receive a grant of  USD$ 2,500 (KES. 275,000).

Through this grant, the MKU community will also offer mentorship to the youth in the slum, focusing on political and social radicalisation, drugs and substance abuse, as well as career growth and opportunities. 

Kiandutu, is largest informal settlement in Thika and has a population of about 30,000 people. 

“Our initial target is 200 homesteads. But we aim to scale it up in due course,” Macharia said.

The call for applications for the COV-AID Graduate Student Mini-Grants attracted over 100 applications from universities worldwide.  The three MKU students are among six other proposals that emerged victorious in what Talloires Network said was an extremely competitive process.

The Talloires Network grants programme is designed to recognize outstanding commitment to civic engagement by university students during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

According to reports from the area residents, these cases are so rampant, especially during the COVID-19 period when schools were closed. The residents say that most of these cases go unreported with the few reported cases dying a natural death due to inaction from the authorities.

In the latest case, the suspect is accused of defiling his 15-year old biological daughter from a previous marriage and the 12-year old stepdaughter from the current marriage, whom they have been living together.

He is said to have survived exposure through death threats to the two daughters and their mother in case any of them dared to reveal what has been transpiring in their house.

His arrest was after the intervention of the area MCA Julius Macharia Taki and Gladys Chania Mwangi, a Counseling Psychologist based in Kiambu County.

He is currently being held at Witeithie Police Station awaiting the doctor’s report for consequent arraignment in court to answer defilement and incest charges.

The step-daughter has now been admitted in a children’s home with her 12-year old stepsister being allowed to live with her mother.

While speaking to the press over the rising cases, Madam Chania said that she was currently handling 6 cases from the area that had been reported over the past one week only. She noted that this was just a tip of the iceberg as so many minors were suffering in silence without anyone reporting of their cases.

She accused the authorities of laxity, sighting another case in Maraba where a man was released under unclear circumstances even after being arrested for sexually molesting his STD 8 daughter.

She also blamed the tedious judicial process that scared away doctors assigned to complete P3 forms for defilement and rape cases, fearing being tied up in very long and endless court summons.

“Most of these P3 forms are filled in casually and some of the crucial evidence watered down to avoid being summoned all the time in court. This jeopardises these cases leading to culprits going scot-free and out for more molestation of young girls,” she explained.

On his part, Taki appealed to parents, teachers, religious leaders and even neighbors to be on look out for any suspicious signs and report cases of defilement immediately.

He urged the clergy, teachers, community health workers  and the Kiambu County health department to come up with mentorship programmes in schools and churches to sensitise the community on the vice and ascertain to what extent it had penetrated into families.

“Today only, we have dealt with two major cases done to our kids by their own parents and last week we were able to solve two cases. Let us take this information as our collective responsibility to weed out the community off such predators,” he said.

Today being Day Two of learning, we are glad to note that the program has gone on well without major interruptions. This full re-opening of learning is coming after ten months of closure of schools due to the Corona virus pandemic.

As Government, we are committed to ensuring that the safety and well-being of our children are given utmost priority, and will work with all stakeholders, including parents to achieve this.

Introduction 

I take this opportunity to thank you for the support rendered to Senate leadership last year. As a result, Senate has passed several key matters of public importance to the credit of the Government due to this renewed synergy. They include your timely intervention on county revenue sharing stalemate. 

Kindly allow me to address myself to matters BBI which will dominate public debate in 2021. I will confine myself to matters relevant to greater Mt. Kenya region. This is because as an elected leader from the region, I often interact with its residents more in comparative terms. I also have a good rapport with regional leaders who unreservedly express local sentiments. 

I do so with deep conviction and faith that I have in this administration .Having been entrusted with party leadership in Senate, I owe the party a duty to be truthful in reporting on matters relevant to my mandate. 

In this letter, reference to 'BBI' includes the Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2020 which is slated for referendum in June 2021. 

Prospects 

By virtue of the good development work done by your administration, BBI ought to have a smooth sailing in the region .These works include the many newly paved roads and water projects implemented by your good administration. On a personal level, my very own rural village of Gathinja in Kahuhia (Kiharu) now has electricity in addition to an ongoing tarmac road project that will terminate into neighboring Gacharaigu village in Kangema constituency. This experience is true for many Mt. Kenya residents. It would therefore be assumed that BBI, being a document propagated by a government that has done so much good for its people, should have an easy sailing in the region. 

BBI contains many benefits for the region which if it fails may be lost forever. There is no guarantee a new regime where 'our son' is not on the driving seat will offer these benefits to the region. They include creation of new constituencies, embedding in the Constitution ’one man one shilling one vote' principle (proposed new article 203) and more resources to the counties. 

I foresee a legal crisis of great proportion that impacts the region negatively in the unlikely event of BBI’s failure particularly on two issues. Firstly, small constituencies like Mukurweini, Othaya and Mathioya will be scrapped by IEBC because they offend population quotas set by Article 89 of the Constitution. Secondly, the new third generation counties revenue sharing formula which is positive for the region as it grants fair weight to population will be negated because it was predicated on increment of devolved funds. Whereas a policy of lifting the floor under Article 203 (2) of the Constitution can be used to remedy this, it’s far much better for counties where there is a constitutional compulsion for devolving more money than a policy whim.

Better resourced counties with a just and fair constitutional revenue sharing formula are a better insurance for the welfare of the Mt. Kenya region in the period post your good regime. Other key benefits that ought to be selling BBI in the region include ward development fund proposal which yours truly championed in the Legislature. Importantly, Mt. Kenya's diaspora has been the political punch bag since 1991. BBI intends to remedy this by embedding consociational democracy which other ethnically divided societies have employed to curb successfully electoral ethnic conflict, including Switzerland, Belgium and UK’s Northern Ireland. 

Challenges 

Notwithstanding the above which should ideally be rallying the region strongly behind BBI, based on a survey I conducted during this December holidays, I have come to the conclusion BBI is unpopular in Mt. Kenya. I admit my survey was not very scientific. May be a more structured survey seeking to ascertain BBI ratings in Mt. Kenya needs to be undertaken, in terms of proper identification of respondents, scientific sampling procedures, employment of good research tools and questionnaires. 

I am also aware your other sources of information can corroborate or counter my conclusion. My sources are regionally skewed with most were from Muranga, my home county. But my sample size is big enough for one to make a logical inference. I had also triangulated my tentative findings with select sources beyond Muranga hence I am fairly confident that my findings are reflective of the regional sentiment. 

By illustration, out of every 10 persons I picked randomly, 6 oppose BBI, 2 support and 2 are indifferent .Women and youths form the bulk of the 6 that oppose .Men beyond the age of 50 form the bulk of the few BBI supporters .There is no correlation of BBI support with educational level. There appears to be some correlation of BBI ratings with urban /rural configurations, with BBI support sinking more in rural areas. 

Your Excellency, I concede, I may be wrong. In fact I wish I was wrong and that my views are mere pessimistic view of things. However, if I am right and we do not take urgent remedial measures, I will pin myself permanently in the pillar of the shame of spectacular defeat. The revenue sharing debate in the Senate proved the importance of flagging matters beforehand. I had raised red flags one month before the stalemate ensued but my concerns took time to be remedied. The same happened in Gaturi by-election . 

This does not necessarily mean BBI will fail nationally .These findings do not suggest BBI ratings cannot shift noting politics is always on a flux .May be there will be a shift once regional county assemblies endorse the document ( I suspect they will) as this may create the ‘BBI inexorableness’ sentiment .However ,with due respect let me not overemphasize the political consequences of a No vote in our home region. I pray we make urgent remedial efforts to avoid such an outcome. 

Several factors seems to be driving this No-to- BBI momentum; 

BBI is being framed as a jubilee factional agenda. Our internal Jubilee problems have been weaponized and are being used to deflect our people from the benefits of BBI. The notion that BBI will expand government (read parliament) has been echoed with great effect. (On a personal level, I understand what led to this proposal .It was the need to accommodate women's lobby concerns, which had judicial endorsement. However, I hold the view that the drafters should have been more imaginative in trying to weigh these two conflicting goals of a trim government and accommodating women.) 

The role of provincial administration (and other forms of hard tactics) in BBI mobilization is being framed as an example of Government using its hard power to force its citizens to endorse BBI. 

Government supporting legislators in the region have been edged out of BBI programs in favor of their local political competitors. I will cite the example of MP. Kangema, Hon.Muturi Kigano, who has been steadfastly supporting government since 2017. He chairs the strategic committee of Justice and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly. Notwithstanding this, his political rival is spearheading BBI in Kangema to Kigano's exclusion. This grievance is silently brewing among MPs in the National Assembly. A number of them are 'komerera' (political double agents) who are bidding their time before they bolt out. In the Senate, by virtue of age, personal resources and political experience of most elected Senators, this is not a major issue. I have personally made efforts to intervene on their behalf to relevant authorities to no avail. 

There is a general feeling of economic deprivation at household levels in the region .The political actors who are selling this narrative are employing the ‘common-man’ language. In comparison, government’s narrative in the region including BBi is being sold by civil servants with limited political skills .This is having a negative knock on effect on BBI. It appears households incomes have either stagnated or plummeted. Many have blamed the stagnating of tea, coffee and milk prices on the government and thus argue BBI is less of their concern. 

Recommendations and Conclusion 

On the issue of Jubilee factionalism and its impact on BBI, I propose we bend backwards. Efforts need to be made to rally regionally all members of parliament irrespective of their political factions behind this cause. Your personal intervention would help at this juncture with BBI ratings being on a downward spiral. It has been suggested BBI referendum be combined with elections of 2022 .This may be impractical taking into account some BBI reforms legally need to be in place prior to 2022 ,for example, new constituencies and addressing the issue of gender representation in parliament .However ,the suggestion for multi-choice referendum if considered may insure against possible total rejection of BBI. 

On the issue of provincial administration and use of hard tactics, I propose when one is strong he or she must act weak, and when one is weak he or she must act strong. Government has an iron fist. I propose we find ways Government wears velvet gloves. This is important because, as a Kikuyu saying goes, he who is sent away with justice never returns. Let us emphasize on the soft power and art of persuasion. In my humble view, Provincial administration in BBI process should be invisible. 

On the issue of the role of MPs’ in BBI, I propose a parallel BBI supporting structure headed by a quasipolitician be established to manage MPs. May be a well-resourced office of the Secretary General can suffice. This office should be doing the 'selling' of government agenda in the region including BBI, which for now seems to be uncoordinated. Alternatively, you can take personal charge of the process in the region. 

On the issue of economic deprivation, it is good the Government is now making efforts to resuscitate agriculture, starting with recently enacted Tea Bill. These reforms should be widened to include other sectors that impact on Mt. Kenya's economy, particularly coffee. Undoubtedly, there is need to explain to the region Covid impacted the economy negatively . A rejuvenated office of SG could possibly do this explaining. Whereas ongoing infrastructural programs must be completed, I politely propose the philosophy underpinning the Government's last budget in 2021/2022 FY can be recasted to tilt to some degree, towards income boosting measures (like widening welfarism including cash transfer programs.) 

I will conclude with one seemingly unrelated issue which has some connection with 2021 Government's political trajectory. This is the Nairobi race. A possible loss by our party’s candidate will have ‘not-so-good’ political consequences that will permeate into BBI and possibly torpedo it. 

Further, it will percolate into Parliament and impede our ability to push Government's legislative agenda. Whereas I cannot dismiss the candidates who have offered themselves to stand with our party, my hunch feeling (and I could be wrong) tells me competitors on offer have a better trajectory going into the race. There are many reasons for this but they include some competitors have better gift of the gab and slumpenetrating tactics. 

In conclusion, I have set out BBI’s prospects and challenges in Mt. Kenya region. 

I have additionally made recommendations on the way forward to remedy the seemingly negative BBI prospects in the region. Being your firm supporter, I will endeavor to do my best to ensure your legacy of being one the best president ever for the region is upheld.

As we come to the end of the Year 2020 and we usher in the New Year - 2021, my family and I are today delighted to convey our best wishes to all Kenyans at home and abroad.

Fellow Kenyans,

The dawn of a New Year is not just a calendar event that marks the passage of time. It symbolizes transition, renewed hope, new opportunities and limitless possibilities. A New Year brings with it the chance for rebirth, renewal as well as restoration.

But we cannot experience the ‘newness’ of a new year without a renewal of minds. I say so because you cannot seize the opportunities and limitless possibilities of 2021, if we are stuck in the mind-set of the old year 2020 and the previous years.

This year just ending has tested all of us immensely – individually as well as collectively as a nation – it has tested us in ways we have never experienced before; we have experienced many individual as well as collective tragedies. But, it has also been one of numerous unstated individual as well as collective triumphs; for in the moment of adversity lay also the seeds of opportunity.

Fellow Kenyans,

As the pandemic spread across the world, our homes transformed into protective incubation capsules for those that we love. Like returning to a mother's womb, our walls became the hiding place, sheltering us from COVID-19; and we depended on this space for everything. Our homes became our places of worship, they became our schools, our playgrounds, our places of work. The pandemic has no doubt stretched us and the way we orient our families and indeed on the way we live.

Caught in the middle of this new normal were our children who missed the joy of the playground and the happiness they experience while learning together. They have been trying hard to adopt to the restricted way of living; while many have been able to adapt, survive and some even thrive, some felt trapped and unfortunately buckled.

So fellow Kenyans, in this New Year, we need to look deep into the heart of the family. We need to invest time in helping our children come out of this situation, and come out of it, stronger in character. It will take each father, each mother and each child, to truly listen to each other, and place the interest of the family front and centre. For as we do everything to make sure that the coronavirus disease doesn't damage the bodies, we must now also do everything to ensure that it doesn't ravage our souls.

And so tonight, to all our children, I speak to you as a father; I speak to you as a grandfather. To our teenagers, hold yourself together. Gather the strength, the gifts, the talents and the energy within yourself; and harness it. Do not throw away your youth, your potential to the harrowing the wind. If you will remain focused, and true to yourself and to your values, you will indeed overcome. You will, indeed, rise, be better and build better.

Fellow Kenyans,

Just like our children, the business community was also caught up in the middle of this new normal. We have had more shut downs in business and less start-ups. But, I believe that this down-turn is an opportunity to re-imagine our business models and embrace innovation. Yes, indeed, I do believe that the year 2021 is the year of rebuilding.

Therefore, in the New Year - 2021, I urge every Kenyan to adjust their mind-set and to embrace the spirit of renewal and hope, possibilities, growth as well as triumph. For in each and every Kenyan lies unimaginable depth of greatness just waiting to come to the fore.

The New Year presents a unique opportunity in the life of our nation to re-imagine our society, bring back the family to the centre of our communities, and re-build a gentler, and indeed kinder, Kenya.

And, YES it is true, we cannot wish away the woes of 2020, but if we change our perspective, there is no doubt that we can bounce back and bounce back better. I know that we cannot reverse our losses, but we can rebuild what we had before the onset of COVID-19.

But, fellow Kenyans, we must always remember that re-building requires a renewal of the mind and sheer boldness. Those who embrace the two virtues will, no doubt, prosper in 2021.

With the New Year, anticipated as the year of rebuilding, the year of re-taking lost territory and the year of bold decisions, we also call upon you, our fellow Kenyans, to also embrace it as the Year of the First Amendment.

As I said in my Madaraka Day as well as my Mashujaa and Jamhuri Day addresses this year, the country is staring at a constitutional moment. And you all know that in a constitutional moment, the Soul of the Nation is constantly in turmoil. More so over elections and the perpetual quest for regime change.

The proposed First Amendment to our Constitution in 2021, I believe, is a bold path that seeks to lay the foundation for a more just, more inclusive, more equitable and more prosperous Kenya. It also seeks to make right our politics by eliminating “Winner Takes All” and replacing it with “We All Win”.

As we close 2020, and indeed on behalf of a grateful Nation, I wish to recognize and thank our medics, our healthcare workers, our security forces for their exemplary courage and sacrifice during the continued COVID-19 pandemic. Each and every one of them is a hero in our eyes.

Fellow Kenyans,

On the 4^th of January 2021, all our Learners will resume their schooling; with in-person classes and this is from inception class, all the way to those offered by tertiary learning institutions. I wish them all well and I want to assure them and their parents, as well as their guardians that my Government will do everything in its power to ensure their health and safety remains our foremost consideration.

To every farmer, teacher, artisan, artist, to every worker and entrepreneur, to every innovator and to every investor; I wish to assure you that 2021 is the year of Building Back Better, building back better for opportunity, building back better for reclaiming lost ground, and for realizing greater growth as well as opportunity and possibility.

Again, I wish every Kenyan, whether at home or abroad, a blessed and indeed prosperous New Year. In 2021, we will as individual families, and as a People, cast aside the shackles of 2020. We will overcome the hurdles that were placed in our path in 2020 and start a new leap into the New Year, a year I believe will be one of limitless opportunities.

In 2021, I am certain that we have the courage to do what we must, what is necessary; at the end of the year we will look back and remark at how 2021 was a momentous year in our nation’s history.

May the GOD of ALL CREATION Bless you all at HOME and in the DIASPORA. May He Bless our country Kenya and May He bring GOOD TIDINGS in the New Year.

I thank you.

ISSUED on this 31^st Day of December, 2020

Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta, CGH

President.