By Albert Nyakundi
It was Governor Waititus dream that at least 5600 youth who were in the Kaa Sober programme would be enrolled in the county technical institutions in November 2018.
However, three quarters refused.
Waititu said the youths would graduate in the first week of February as tailors, masons and welders in order to be self reliant.
This did not happen and was pushed to February 19 since he had not paid their three months arrears (November-January) and they protested.
One wonders what technical skills one would acquire in THREE months from a technical school.
After all it was just a trick to kill the Kaa Sober programme that was a thorn in the governor’s flesh.
Initially the governor told the youths the programme was to last until 2022.
To their surprise, it lasted for only a year.
A graduation ceremony had to be organized for all the youths, those who joined technical institutions and those who did not.
The “graduation” finally took place on February 26 at Ndumberi stadium.
This marked the end of one year free breakfast and lunch for the 5600 in the programme as well as officially ending payment of Ksh 400 the youths used to take home.
The county jobs, contracts remain a promise that was never fulfilled.
It dawned on the youths that the governor lied to them.
5000 youths were each issued with cheques worth Ksh 20, 000 each at the graduation ceremony through their MCAs.
It therefore means the money was an appreciation for the entire period at the vocational training centers across the county contrary to the expectations that the youths would continue to receive their wages while still attending classes.
If the 5000 youths were to be paid Ksh 400 per day each would have pocketed Ksh 8000 a month making it Ksh 24 000 for three months.
A total of Ksh 120 million was thus paid as appreciation token instead of Ksh140 million Waititu would have paid in terms of their three months wages.
It is idleness and hopelessness that had driven Kiambu youths into alcoholism and drug abuse.
Waititu has not solved it yet.
The programme saw Waititu being attacked by other county leaders including his deputy Dr James Nyoro, Senator Kimani Wa Matangi, Woman Rep Gathoni Wa Mucomba and several MPs led by Gatundu South legislature Moses Kuria.
The leaders dismissed the programme as lacking inclusivity and a waste of public funds.
It will be interesting to see where the “Waititu graduates” will be heading to considering no single industrial park has been constructed by the county to absorb the youths.
Regarding roads rehabilitation and other constructions in the county Waititu promised to directly hire the youths from Kaa Sober programme.
He never did it.
Contractors are seen on the ground without any of the youths. In 2022, he will face a united, angry 5600 former “Kaa Sober graduates” singing a united chorus to kick him out of office.
They will be supported by their spouses and relatives.
Waititu may claim he was not voted in by bar owners in 2017, but they will not be alone in ousting him in 2022 but will be backed by the business community.
Business people had accused former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo of exorbitant licenses fees and this may have been one of the reasons to chase Kabogo away.
Came Waititu who scrapped off fees charged from small traders and slashed parking fees.
This put a smile on resident’s faces but in 2019, he realized a county cannot run on road side declarations but revenue.
He reintroduced license fees he had revoked and increased car parking fees.
This is one of his undoing.
Leaders in Kiambu among them the United for Kiambu members who put a united front to oust Kabogo have accused Waititu of being a lone ranger who does not accommodate them.
The unity saw four out of five gubernatorial aspirants shelf their bids and instead support Waititu.
He has since sacked roads CEC John Mugwe over flimsy reasons with another one who was his key financier Bishop Ngare Kariuki of Ekeza Sacco lacking a job portfolio despite allocating him an office and an official car.
Ngare has never been in office for months now and the car has since been taken away under unclear circumstances.
The office has since been allocated to Karungo Thang’wa,who replaced Mugwe.
Lastly, squatters in Kikuyu and Limuru constituencies are already murmuring about the criteria the governor is using to issue them with title deeds.
It is not funny when the governor issues the documents to individuals who are occupying a piece of land merely because they have been living there for many years.
However, there are other people who have laid claim to the land.
Albert Nyakundi,is a former member of Governor Waititu’s communication team.