The way to Mt Kenya’s heart is through scaling up our micro and small businesses

Almost all scenarios of political arithmetic indicate Mt Kenya will play king maker in next year’s presidential polls. It is no wonder then that every State House hopeful and their strategists are working overtime to win the hearts and minds of Gema – and nearly seven million votes. It is a hard nut to crack, with misdiagnosis the first fatal step.

Mt Kenya communities are said to have reaped the economic benefits of being in power for 35 years. Yet millions of Gema people feel very resentful because they received none of the said benefits at the personal level. It is possibly why some have fallen prey to the false hustler narrative. Let me explain.

The fight for independence, from a Mt Kenya perspective, was about land and freedom. It was the reason our parents and grandparents fought the colonialists. After independence, some of the landless did get land. And freedom remained elusive for the decades leading up to the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

The land question centred on whether the departing colonial farmers should be paid for improvements on the land. The left did not want to pay while the right argued they should be paid. The right prevailed and the UK provided a loan for a Settlement Fund.

But nearly half of our people never got any land. Don’t get me wrong. True, there was the million-acre programme in Nyandarua. And further north in Laikipia there was Nyahururu and Marmanet settlement schemes. But still, nearly half were left landless. It is on this question that JM Kariuki died.

Land-buying companies

Others sought to acquire a parcel through land-buying firms. Muhotetu in Laikipia West was bought by Muhotetu Farmers, mainly from Muhoya and Tetu in Nyeri, hence the name. 

Mifugo Coop comprises Kenyans from Nyeri and Murang’a. Narok Ranch, just north of Rumuruti, was bought by Gema. Othaya-Mahiga-Chinga (OMC), Laikipia West Farmers, Mutukanio Farmers, Thome I & III are more examples of land acquired through land-buying firms in Laikipia, where many have lost their lives to cattle rustlers.

The current epicentre is Laikipia West Farmers, more popularly known as Ol Moran, and Mutukanio, better known by its main market centre of Survey. And yet we stand accused of “benefitting”. And others have come into Mutara ADC ranch and hived it off!

Away from land, the structure of the formal economy remains as it was in the colonial times, creating just under 100,000 jobs against one million new job market entrants per year. As a result, the youth end up in the informal (jua kali) sector, where most micros struggle to access affordable credit, technology and markets. 

By supporting 1,500 micros over the last three years, we have created and maintained 18,700 jobs in Laikipia. We have also demonstrated that micros are innovative and can achieve global competitiveness. For instance, Mwereri Engineering are exporting grain dryers to several African countries, while Sagak Tech’s BJ50 tuk tuk is holding its own against Asian competitors. The route to the hearts of Gema is economic.

Ndiritu Muriithi is the Governor of Laikipia County. @NdirituMuriithi