‘JungleNut’ Declares Interest In Thika Town Seat As He Kicks Off “Buy Kenya Build Campaign”.

Wainaina cutting the tape to officially open the 2016 Thika Business Trade Fair. Looking on is Madam Chania and MC Sam

The proprietor of Jungle Nut Ltd and C.E.O. Jungle Foundation Mr. Patrick Wainaina has officially declared his interest to be the next Thika Town MP come 2017.

Speaking to young entrepreneurs and business people at Mama Ngina Gardens in Thika Town during the launch of a three-day Thika Business Trade Exhibition, Wainaina said for quite a long time, Thika has had so many people representing it in Parliament but very few people could take pride in the leadership. He expressed his disappointment in the way poverty and unemployment was high in the area, a scenario he attributed to lack of concrete programmes that empowered the electorates.

“Every time I see and hear people talk of insecurity I usually ask myself what we, the people in leadership, have done to curb it. If we do not have long-term solutions towards empowering our people and creating jobs, not just for a few individual but for the entire society, our people will keep on whining and lamenting of lack of representation and poverty. Our leaders have failed us in creating jobs to our youth,” said Wainaina.

He argued that it was a sign of failed leadership adding that Kenyans should learn to use their votes prudently by voting in leaders who had a vision for a prosperous future for everyone. Wainaina said that an empowered society guaranteed security to everyone as the majority of its people would be busy creating wealth rather that engaging in crime for a living.

He called on the government and the local leaders to churn their efforts in promoting basic education by improving the learning environment of the public institutions, especially the primary schools.

“Whenever national examinations results are announced, the list of the best performers is dominated by the private institutions (Academies). This is usually due to the kind of investment made by these entrepreneurs to bring out the best out of their institutions. We need to do the same in our public schools as the kids in these schools possess the same talents and intelligence as their counterparts in the private schools,” he said.

He said that it was in the same vein that his foundation had decided to support the facelift of the facilities in the public schools within Thika as well as working out programmes to improve their academic performance.

Other than promoting education, Jungle Foundation was working with various groups of people to create employment, especially in the informal sector with the aim of empowering the youth and the society in general. They were also working out programmes that were geared towards keeping our environment clean and safe to live in.

“In Jungle Foundation, there is everything for everyone. Right now we have a very new product called ‘J-Hela’ which is basically a SACCO based on your mobile phone. If the investment you endeavour to start will create a job, we will loan you for zero interest. Any other loans will just attract a 6% Annual Interest. So, even if you aren’t creating jobs, we still have a great package for you,” he said.

He expressed his frustrations that very few Kenyans nurtured young entrepreneurship or even assisted young businesses to grow adding that it was very discouraging to see that our shopping outlets were stuffed with imported foreign goods, some of which were readily available locally.

He wondered why there existed such discrepancies in the Kenyan market yet our country had so many talented and educated man-power that if promoted in the right way, would make Kenya a hub for business and industry.

“I have bought a broomstick made in China. I have seen eggs and oranges coming from South Africa and I just ask myself, does it mean that my old mama or sister cannot produce the same? I just find it very hard to accept this,” said Wainaina.

He noted that if we as Kenyans decided to consume Kenyan goods by choice, this country would make greats strides in development and job creation.

Leading by example, Wainaina enjoys a cup of porridge prepared using value added farm produce by one of the exhibitors at the Trade Fair

“Any country that relies on foreign exchange is not going anywhere. When a mzungu invests in this country, he has come for business and will definitely take the money he earns here back to his motherland. Countries like China and India have experienced tremendous growth by what they have invested on, and that is doing things in their backyard. They have been built by their own citizens,” he said.

It is for this reason Wainaina encouraged Kenyans to really promote local investments by buying Kenyan goods by choice and empowering young entrepreneurs in their endeavour to create jobs for themselves and others. He said that Kenyans had to make a concerted effort to support the Jua Kali Sector as this was the heart of growth in the country.