July 31: Application To Mpesa Foundation Academy Closing Today

You have until the end of today July 31, 2016 to apply for your child to join Safaricom’s prestigious Mpesa Foundation Academy (MFA). The Academy is a special kind of secondary school that offers a more enriched academic curriculum compared to the regular KCSE syllabus. 

Application to Mpesa Foundation Academy is open to pupils in their last year of primary school who have registered to sit their KCPE exams in November 2016. The applicant must be at least 13 years old but not older than 15 years at the time when they are expected to join Form 1 in 2017. 

Those applying to join the Academy are required to complete a 16-page application form and attach documents that include birth certificate and academic records for at least the last three years.
The Academy accepts applications from all the 47 counties in the country.

Focus on talent
Safaricom’s Mpesa Foundation Academy says that it seeks to develop transformational leaders through innovative approaches to education. The focus of the Academy is to provide education opportunity to talented but economically disadvantaged pupils leaving primary school.

Limited transition to secondary school
It is said that a large number of KCPE candidates still fail to transition to secondary despite the government’s efforts to cut school fees in secondary schools. Shortage of money is cited as one of the major reasons many pupils leaving primary school fail to make it to secondary school and even those who do make it to secondary school many of them drop out before the end of their course. As such, Safaricom’s Mpesa Foundation Academy will help boost the number of Kenyan pupils transitioning from primary to secondary.

Inaugural intake
The first lot of learners entered the Academy in January this year and the second group will join them in January 2017. But those seeking to join the academy in 2017 must return their application forms before the end of today (July 31, 2016).

Completed application forms can be submitted to Mpesa Foundation Academy through the post office or email (admissions@mpesafoundationacademy.ac.ke). You can access the application for at www.mpesafoundationacademy.ac.ke

The foundation says that no money is charged to apply to the Academy.

Kariobangi Politician Angered By Botched ID Program

Kariobangi Politician Peter Gathuita.

A Kariobangi politician is struggling to assure supporters that his promises can be relied upon after a promised and hyped identification card issuance exercise failed to materialise. Peter Gathuita, alias Ndicho, spent the last week mobilising Kariobangi North residents to turn up for an open ID application exercise at Kariobangi Social Hall. 

The exercise was scheduled to run for four days consecutively starting July 26 through July 29. But Mr Gathuita sent out a message at the weekend saying that the open ID application exercise had aborted.

“Hello my good friends of Kariobangi North Community. Am saddened to announce the postponement of our scheduled field ID application exercise dated 26th - 29th of this month,” he said. 

But the politician appeared to blame some unnamed people for the botched ID issuance exercise.

“This is due to unclear reasons from the relevant administrative organs which aborted our exercise in last minutes but we believe someone somewhere is behind the blockage of our efforts to bring the exercise to our community. Let him/her know that this exercise was purely non-partisan regardless of tribe, religion, party or any other selfish reason,” he added.

Keep hope alive
Though this week’s exercise has failed to take off as planned, Mr Gathuita hinted that the exercise would take place at a later date, which was not specified. He reiterated his week-long call on the residents of Kariobangi North who do not have their national ID cards to stay alert for a new date for the open ID application exercise to be announced in the future.

Mass ID application
In mass ID application exercise such as the one that Mr Gathuita had promised Kariobangi residents, local leaders make arrangements with officials at the Registration of Persons to bring their services to the open. The exercise usually provides an opportunity for the disabled and those who cannot find time to go to registration offices to apply for ID cards closer to where they stay.

For politicians, mass ID card application exercise provides an opportunity to lay the ground for vote hunt once the campaigns begin. A national ID card is a vital voter document because you cannot participate in a national voting exercise such as the election of Member of County Assembly (MCA), Member of Parliament (MP) or President without it. The national ID card is also requirement in job application.

Battle for Kariobangi North MCA seat
Mr Gathuita has expressed interest in vying for Kariobangi North MCA seat in the 2017 General Election. He is hoping to unseat the current area MCA Michael Wainaina Wanjiku, who was elected on The National Alliance (TNA) ticket. TNA is in the process of merging with other parties to create a stronger political force known as Jubilee Alliance. Mr Gathuita will be seeking the Jubilee Party ticket to go into the general election.

Kariobangi North is one of the four wards in Embakasi North Constituency. In the March 2013 General Election, TNA won three MCA seats in the constituency namely  Kariobangi North (Michael Wainaina), Dandora 1 (Peter Wanyoike), Dandora 2 (Stephen Kambi) and Dandora 3 (Charles Thuo). Orange Democratic Party (ODM) candidate Daniel Oria won the Dandora 4 MCA seat.

HKPS Opens Its First Outlet In CBD

The rapidly expanding Huruma Kariobangi Parish Sacco (HKPS) has announced the opening of its first customer service outlet in the city center in a move that is aimed at increasing customer touchpoints. The Sacco said that the CBD outlet is located on the second-floor of Caxton House on Standard Street.

It is not currently clear how many employees HKPS has deployed to work at its CBD office. But the Sacco expects the new outlet to widen its reach and ease pressure on members working in the city center who previously had to seek services at the Sacco’s offices in Kariobangi, Huruma or Korogocho. HKPS members are required to submit their deposit slips to the Sacco’s offices after they make their deposits at the bank.

But members of the Sacco reacted differently to the move to open a CBD office with some urging that existing outlets already meet members’ needs.

Membership
HKPS closed 2015 with a total of 9,203 members, indicating an increase of 37% over the membership of 6,738 at the end of the previous year. But more than 2,000 members in the Sacco are marked as dormant participants. Members’ deposits hit Sh406.9 million in 2015, up 42% from 2014.

HKPS members can buy shares in and obtain loans thrice their savings from the Sacco. Members also receive dividend distributions on their shares. The Sacco proposed to distribute Sh54.8 million in dividends for fiscal 2015, significantly up from Sh38.6 million in the prior year.

Revenue
Revenue of HKPS more than doubled in 2015 relative to the prior year. The Sacco reported consolidated revenue amounting to Sh102.9 million, suggesting a growth of 72% over the revenue generated in 2014. The Sacco’s sources of revenue include interest on loans and income from investments.

Transformation
HKPS has morphed into a Sacco, though it originally operated as a self-help group following its registration in 1994.

Mburu Threatens To Uproot Martin From Mowlem Ward

Politician George Mburu.

Mowlem Ward MCA Martin Kinyanjui could face an uphill task defending his seat in the 2017 General Election. George Mburu, a public relations specialist, has declared his interest in contesting for the Mowlem MCA seat in the next election. Mr Kinyanjui and Mr Mburu are set to face off in the battle for the Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) ticket ahead of the general election.

Contest for JAP ticket
Mr Mburu has stated that he intends to vie for the Mowlem MCA seat on JAP ticket. Although Mr Kinyanjui has not said on which party ticket he hopes to defend his seat, he is also likely to go for JAP ticket. And that is where he will come face-to-face with Mr Mburu before the winner in the party primaries faces opponents from other parties in the main election.

Mr Kinyanjui was elected the Mowlem MCA on a The National Alliance (TNA) party ticket. He beat several candidates to clinch the TNA ticket in a hotly contested nomination that was conducted at a ground near Tononoka steel factory in Mowlem. Mr Kinyanjui went on to beat opponents from Orange Democratic Party (ODM), Ford-Kenya, Wiper Democratic Party (WDP) and a host of other parties to win the Mowlem MCA seat.

MCA Martin Kinyanjui (right) issuing bursaries.

Crucial youth support
But Mr Kinyanjui, a dreadlocked politician who won the majority of votes in Mowlem largely because of the favor he enjoyed among the youth, will head into the next election with some of his previous advantages diluted. Just like Mr Kinyanjui, Mr. Mburu is also a youthful politician aged about 29 years.

However, Mr Mburu will have to fight long and hard to counter the wave of a widely popular Mr. Kinyanjui who also enjoys cordial relationship with Embakasi West MP George Theuri.

Boards announcing development projects in Mowlem Ward typically bear the names of Mr Kinyanjui and Mr Theuri, an indication that the two politicians are trying to help each other prove that they are delivering on their campaign promises.

Getting known by voters
Mr Mburu’s greatest initial hurdle in Mowlem is likely to be introducing himself to the voters. He hails from Umoja 3, but it is not known how much political support he enjoys in his backyard. It is also not clear at this juncture who his point men are in other areas of Mowlem Ward to help him run an effective campaign. Mr Kinyanjui will likely rely on the campaign machine he built in 2013 to help him retain his seat.

In Dandora, Ruto Commissions Road Work

Deputy President William Ruto was in Dandora on Friday, June 17, to commission the construction of a new link road connecting Dandora and Kangundo Road. The road will also provide a shortcut route to Mama Lucy Hospital and Umoja 3 from Dandora Ph1 and Total Stage. The DP was accompanied by Embakasi West MP, George Theuri, and Mowlem MCA, Martin Kinyanjui, alongside dozens of other national and county governments officials. 

DP William Ruto (right) shaking hands with wananchi during the commissioning of the Kwamaji-Baraka link road.

The 3km Kwamaji-Baraka link road connects Dandora to Kangundo Road near Coca-Cola Preform Plant in Umoja 3. The road was initially rehabilitated by CDF funds but was never tarmacked and quickly relapsed to its former sorry state when more motorists began to use it. But it is now set to get a major upgrade, including better drainage on the pavements and tarmac on the surface.

Citing mandate from the people and an opportunity to interact with voters, Mr. Ruto said he was glad to be the one to commission the construction of the new road. The DP said that the Kwamaji-Baraka link road, when completed, will be a promise fulfilled by the Jubilee government. He recalled that in 2013 Kenyans gave the Jubilee government the responsibility to make their lives better and that the upgraded Kwamaji-Baraka road would do just that – improve lives.

A young schoolboy bends the ear of DP Ruto.

 

A shortcut to hospital
For residents of Baraka Mowlem and Dandora, the new road will offer a shortcut route to Mama Lucky Hospital. Those coming from Dandora are currently forced to take a longer route from Total stage through Mailisaba to the hospital. Mama Lucy Hospital, sitting somewhere between Komarock Phase 5 and Umoja 2, is the second-largest government hospital in Nairobi after Kenyatta National Hospital. But accessibility to the hospital by the people in its catchment area has been hampered by the bad state of the Kwamaji-Baraka road.

DP Ruto (second right) having lunch with Embakasi West MP George Theuri (left) after commissioning Kwamaji-Baraka road.

Good news for motorists
The Kwamaji-Baraka road is also expected to ease the traffic flow between Kangundo and Komarock roads and take away pain for motorists. Traffic gridlock during morning and evening rush hours has seen matutus lose business hours. Those heading for work and students going to school in the morning have also borne the brunt of the traffic jam on the two roads. But the upgraded road should ease their pain when completed.
The new road could also pave way for a new matatu route connecting Kayole through Komarock and Dandora Ph1, potentially creating new job opportunities.

Kwamaji-Baraka road runs through Mowlem Ward in Embakasi West Constituency. Administratively, Mowlem Ward lies in Dandora Division.

Embakasi West MP George Theuri (right) and Mowlem MCA Martin Kinyanjui (left).

DP Ruto also inspected development projects in KCC slum, near Caltex Umoja, where he commissioned a nearly-constructed road.