Businessman Plots A Business Revolution To Valiantly Drive Social Change.
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| Jungle Nut C.E.O. taking through participants on some of the tenets of proper group management and entrepreneurship during a workshop in Thika. |
Leading participants in the Slogan “This is God’s Time” during a workshop
on proper group management and entrepreneurship that was attended by over 70
group chairpersons in Thika, Wainaina said that the time for seizing the reins
of economic empowerment was now and they had no option but to get out of their
cocoons.
He argued that for more than half a decade, the majority of Thika
residents lived in abject poverty yet they had the vote to get the kind of
leadership they wanted. The politicians who had been representing them did very
little to make life a little more tolerable for their poor constituents. All they
did was scheme with unscrupulous people who enabled them to supply patronage to
the poor and fight elections as they benefited from public resources and
contracts at the expense of the poor and the underprivileged.
“Since independence, Thika, with all its potential, has had
so many elected leaders yet our people are still struggling to enjoy one meal a
day. It is now time everyone stopped letting other people box you into their
system of rules that resulted mediocre results for you. This is God’s time. It
is time you made your own rules, hacked the system and changed the world,” said
Wainaina.
Wainaina said that rather than leaders standing or speaking
for the people, a time had come for leaders to stand with the people as they
(the people) spoke for themselves. He pointed out that the greatest mess that
this region has had was being led by politicians for the last 53 years who
instead of building environments and policies for a collective future, they spent
their entire terms in office politicking and messing the people’s lives.
“Our people have the potential to build a new economic
dynamic generating growth and jobs. But this can never be possible if at all
those in positions of power do not give particular attention to
entrepreneurship promotion or have an entrepreneurship action plan that focuses
attention on creating a more enabling environment to support small businesses. The
growing unemployment threatens socio-economic and political stability thus the
need for alternative means of job creation,” he said.
The businessman, who is now eying the Thika Town
Constituency seat, said that education and training were critical to develop
the entrepreneurial mind set and specific skills for business start-up and
development. He added that a coordinated policy response was necessary to
ensure the energy and drive of young people were best harnessed to meet the
needs of a 21st century economy.
Wainaina noted that there was a need for great business
start-up support efforts as the growth of young businesses were compounded by the
people’s limited life and work experience as well as the lack of starting capital.
It was for this reason, he said, that he came up with the idea of J-Hela.
“The J-Hela system is giving particular attention to success
of loan advancements, repayments and business sustainability. Our products are very flexible
to suit the various needs of different entrepreneurs at any given stage of
their businesses. In J-Hela, you borrow and receive your loan in the comfort of
your workplace as all you need is your mobile phone to carry out all the
transactions,” he explained.
He explained that the J-Hela was a great innovative
financial solution offering savings and credit facilities for both individuals
and groups, money transfers, an online soko and a PSV facility for commuters.
“Leadership is about influencing to empower the people and
not being barriers to empowerment. What is stopping us from financial empowerment?
Our friend and business guru Manu Chandaria has for years carried the dreams of
our brothers of the Asian origin. Why can’t we emulate the same and empower our
people?” he concluded.
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