Kitui from Nairobi: 5 Observations you are likely to make while traveling to Kitui from Nairobi

There are some 5 observations that you are likely to make, while traveling to Kitui from Nairobi.

First, while traveling to Kitui from Nairobi, you are likely to note that the population has truly grown over the years. I mean, in the olden days, there used to be vast empty tracts of land between Nairobi and Kitui. But nowadays, the entire stretch between Nairobi and Kitui is settled, and the only empty tracts of land you are likely to encounter are those that are under government protection for various purposes. You also note that previously small towns like Matuu, Kathiiani, Katutu and Kabati have grown in leaps and bounds over the years, not to mention Thika which has grown into some sort of a mini city in its own right.

Secondly, while traveling to Kitui from Nairobi, you are likely to note that the people are indeed becoming wealthier. They may whine all they like, but looking at the buildings and the vehicles you keep on encountering on the way, you can’t help coming to the conclusion that the people are becoming wealthier.

Thirdly, while traveling to Kitui from Nairobi, you are likely to note that indeed, the standards of education are rising. You just listen to the banter between the passengers you are traveling with, and compare it with what you used to hear in the 80s and 90s, and quickly come to the conclusion that the standards of education are indeed rising fast.

Fourth, while traveling to Kitui from Nairobi you are likely to observe that there have been major investments in public transport over the years. Like if you board one of those Kinatwa matatus, and compare it with the sort of public transport we used to have in the Nairobi to Kitui route in days gone by, you come to the conclusion that the public transport has improved a great deal.

And fifth, while traveling to Kitui from Nairobi, you are likely to observe that there have been major investments in infrastructure in the recent years. The journey between Nairobi and Kitui will, for instance, have to entail going through the Thika superhighway -- and it is a marvel compared to the simple dual carriage we used to have there just a few decades ago.

Kitui flour mills: why is the Kitui flour mills company so successful?

Few people will dispute the assertion that the Kitui flour mills company is one of the most successful milling companies in Kenya. It has managed to dominate some markets completely – like where you visit some towns and find that more than 70% of the maize flour and wheat flour products on sale are from Kitui flour mills. And the question that arises then, is as to why Kitui flour mills company has been so successful, and what we can learn from it as upcoming entrepreneurs.

I posed that question, on why the Kitui flour mills company has been so successful to a certain businessman who runs a chain of wholesale stores and who stocks Kitui flour mills products a great deal. So I wanted to know his views on why Kitui flour mills company has been so successful. The businessman told me that in his view, there are three factors behind the success of Kitui flour mills.

Firstly, he told me that he thinks that Kitui flour mills success is, to a great extent, attributable to the effort that the company’s management has made in establishing strong distribution networks.

Secondly, he told me that he thinks that Kitui flour mills success is, to a considerable extent, attributable to consistent marketing campaigns by the Kitui flour mills company. I mean, things like giving promotional materials to shop owners (like those tents we tend to find in café extensions in Mombasa) as well as media ads have helped a great deal in getting the Kitui flour mills brand etched in customers’ minds.

Thirdly, he told me that he thinks that Kitui flour mills success is also attributable to the company’s investment in professional management. That is as opposed to other companies that insist on nepotistic hiring or hiring the cheapest people, which ultimately impacts the quality of management service. He told me that the few Kitui flour mills managers he had gotten to interact with were true professionals and that could be one of the reasons behind the company’s roaring success.

Kitui flour mills jobs: how do I get a Kitui flour mills job?

Recently, while traveling from Mazeras to Mombasa, I overheard an interesting discussion on Kitui flour mills jobs. One of the speakers seemed to be a fellow who works at Kitui flour mills, whereas the other speaker seemed to be an individual who was keen on getting a job at Kitui flour mills. The latter was seeking the former’s advice, on how to get Kitui flour mills jobs.

The fellow who was looking for Kitui flour mills jobs was told that there are apparently three ways in which one can get a job at Kitui flour mills.

He was told that one of the ways in which he could get a Kitui flour mills jobs is by visiting the careers page on the Kitui flour mills website, and applying for a position there. Apparently, job vacancies that arise at Kitui flour mills are advertised on the careers page of the Kitui flour mills website, and this is something he could take advantage of.

He was told that the other way in which he could get a Kitui flour mills job would be by presenting himself to Kitui flour mills premises and being ‘picked’ for a job from there. Apparently, for the low cadre positions, the arrangement is one where you present yourself at the gate on days when new people are being 'taken'/recruited, get picked for the position and earn yourself a place at Kitui flour mills.

He was also told that yet another way in which he could possibly get a Kitui flour mills job would be by networking with folks who already work there, and trying to get them to recommend him for any positions that may arise. Apparently, in those sorts of companies, the existing employees are sometimes advised to recommend potential workers (whom they apparently then act as guarantors for). Which means that by networking and befriending the folks who are already working at Kitui flour mills, one could stand a chance of eventually getting a job there. In any case, if nothing else, those folks who are already working at Kitui flour mills may alert him or her when new positions he can apply for arise… So, apparently, networking is a good idea.

Kitui general hospital address: what is the address for Kitui general hospital?

The last time I tried to find the address for the Kitui general hospital online, I had a very difficult time. At that time – and I hope things have changed – the Kitui general hospital didn’t seem to have a website, or even an official Facebook page, making it very difficult for one to find the address for it online.

What I decided to do, in an effort to get the Kitui general hospital address, was visit Kitui county’s Ministry of Health and Sanitation webpage (at https://kitui.go.ke/countygovt/ministries/ministry-of-health-and-sanitation/) and try to get in touch with the folks in that ministry, under the assumption that they would be the ones in charge of Kitui general hospital, and that it should therefore be easy for them to get the Kitui general hospital address. But I was wrong, for they too didn’t seem to have the Kitui general hospital address ready at hand. But they did promise to find it for me and get back to me with it – which they did eventually. 

So what I did, upon getting to that webpage for the Kitui county department of health and sanitation was click on the ‘contact us’ button that is found near the top, then used the address given to contact the fellows and ask them for the Kitui general hospital address.

The fact that it was so hard to lay hands on the Kitui general hospital address made it clear to me that we still have a long way to go, as far as the 'digitization' of government services goes. I mean, how much would it cost to create a website for the Kitui general hospital – even if only a basic website with static information? It is my hope that in future, folks looking for basic things like the Kitui general hospital address won’t have to struggle so much.

Kitui governor: what does it take for one to become Kitui governor?

Well, it takes a lot for one to become Kitui governor. You have to understand that with a total surface area of more than 30,000 square kilometers and a population of almost 2 million people, Kitui county is bigger than some nations. Therefore becoming Kitui governor is a big deal. To be sure, in the early days – like in the first term when Julius Malombe won the Kitui governorship – people hadn’t yet realized just how huge the Kitui governor’s post is. With time though, people have come to learn that being Kitui governor means being in charge of huge resources, which has translated into stiff competition for the Kitui governor’s position.

So what does it take for one to become Kitui governor?

Firstly, to become Kitui governor, one needs to have excellent political mobilization skills. To become Kitui governor, you need to convince at least several hundred thousand people (spread over more than 30,000 square kilometers) to vote for you, and that is a tall order for someone without excellent political organization skills.

Secondly, to become Kitui governor, one needs to have adequate resources to campaign. To win the Kitui governorship, you need to have a well oiled political machinery, and that costs money.

Thirdly, to become Kitui governor, one increasingly needs to have a recognizable name. It is increasingly becoming hard to ‘come out of nowhere’ and just win the Kitui governorship. In the last election, the people competing for Kitui governorship – the likes of Charity Kaluki Ngilu, Julius Malombe and David Musila were long established political brands. So that is the caliber you need to have, to be an effective competitor for Kitui governor’s seat.

Fourth, to become Kitui governor, it looks as if one increasingly needs to have top-notch connections. Without the right connections, your campaign for Kitui governorship is likely to flounder – because there are all manner of big shots competing for the Kitui governor position and most of them are willing to go to any lengths to clinch it. You could easily find yourself complaining about 'uneven playing grounds' and other such things if you are not careful.

Kitui governor results: factors that are likely to influence Kitui governor results

There are several factors that are likely to influence Kitui governor results.

Firstly, Kitui governor results are likely to be influenced by the parties that the respective candidates vie on. Thus although a given aspirant may be a potentially good governor, if he or she stands on the ‘wrong’ party, that could have an detrimental effect on his or her results.

Secondly, Kitui governor results are likely to be influenced by national politics waves. If the Kenya national political winds are blowing in a certain direction and you try to swim against them, that could have a negative effect on your results. But then again, in 2017, we did see Charity Ngilu winning on her Narc party ticket against a strong Wiper Party wave… so this is a factor that can be overcome, but only with very hard work.

Thirdly, Kitui givernor results are likely to be influenced by the respective aspirants’ political mobilization skills. To get the best Kitui governor results, one has to campaign effectively in both the Kitui region and the Mwingi region – two diverse regions within the same county. To get the best Kitui governor results, one has to campaign effectively in densely populated areas, such as Kitui Central and Kitui West as well as in less densely populated areas, such as Nuu, Ukasi, Endau and so on. So one’s political mobilization skills are likely to have an impact on how they end up performing in the Kitui governor election.

Fourthly, Kitui governor results are likely to be influenced by the respective aspirants’ name recognition. Thus, if you are a well known Kitui political player, and join the race for the Kitui governor position you are likely to be at an advantage over newbies who don’t enjoy such brand recognition. If you look at someone like the current Kitui governor – Charity Kaluki Ngilu – you see that she is a person who has been in politics since the early 90s, at one point even taking on President Daniel Arap Moi for the Kenyan presidency. To understand how important name recognition is, you just have to look at the 2017 Kitui governor results – where the incumbent dr Julius Malombe ended up coming third after Charity Kaluki Ngilu and David Musila. Why? Perhaps one of the factors at play could be name recognition – given that the Musila and Ngilu brands were far better established in Kitui county than the Malombe brand, in spite of the latter having had the honor of serving as the first governor of Kitui county...

Kitui goat auction: how to improve its impact

What are some of the steps that can be taken, to improve the impact of the Kitui goat auction?

Well, to my mind, one of the steps that can be taken to improve the impact of the Kitui goat auction is that of holding it more regularly. I mean, what stops us from making the Kitui goat auction a weekly affair, just like the Mombasa tea auction? Isn’t the number of goats reared in Kitui county big enough to sustain such a venture? Those are the lines we need to start thinking along – rather than restricting ourselves to the Baringo goat auction model, yet we know that the latter was more of a political event than an economic event.

Another step that can be taken to improve the impact of the Kitui goat auction is that of publicizing it more seriously. The idea is to get bigger numbers of serious bidders to take part in the Kitui goat auction. We could even take it international. But whatever we do, we have to understand that the success of the Kitui goat auction is likely to be directly proportional to how well publicized it is. Of course, if the auction proves to be a success in terms of hooking up the people who are seeking to sell goats with those who are seeking to buy, it would eventually get to a point where the it wouldn’t need to be directly publicized. It would be self-sustaining, just like the Mombasa tea auction – I mean, when was the last time you came across an ad inviting people to the Mombasa tea auction? The event doesn’t have to be advertised, as the people already know its value. We can get the Kitui goat auction to that level.

Yet another step that can be taken to improve the impact of the Kitui goat auction is perhaps that of reducing the restrictions in it. Rather than insisting that the goats to offer for sale at the Kitui county goat auction have to meet all these hard parameters, we can just leave it upon the herders to bring the goats they have, and let the buyers decide what they want. Otherwise if you impose too high standards, it becomes very hard for the average farmer to meet them, which then  turns the Kitui goat auction into an elitist affair. But that is just my thinking and I could be wrong…

Kitui government: how much difference has the Kitui county government made?

Well, I reckon that there are some 4 areas where the Kitui county government has had a real impact, from the time of the first governor Dr Julius Malombe to the Charity Kaluki Ngilu era.

The first area where the Kitui government has had a real impact is that of rural roads maintenance. Simple exercises like the continual grading of roads and the murraming of certain roads within the interior parts of Kitui have made areas that were previously inaccessible possible to access. And that has had a very huge impact on the lives of the people who live in these areas. This is a fruit of devolution, because we now have MCAs following up on roads that previously had nobody to follow up on.

The second area where the Kitui government has had a real impact in is that of healthcare. Isn’t it under Kitui count government that the Kitui general hospital has become a level 5 facility? How much investment went into making the Kitui general hospital qualify for level 5 status? Would such investment have been possible under the previous centralized system?

The third area where the Kitui government has had a real impact in is that of agriculture. So you find that things like the provision of seeds and extension services as well as encouraging farmers to grow crops that are likely to do better (like in Ngilu’s Ngengu/Ndakithi program) as well as initiatives like the Kitui goat auction have had a huge impact. And they are likely to change how people view agriculture in Kitui in the coming days.

The fourth area where the Kitui government has had a considerable impact in is that of empowering locals through various supply tenders. It is important to appreciate that before the era of county governments, many of the tenders being won by locals to supply various things to the Kitui county government would have been dished out at Nairobi. Now it has become possible for Kitui locals to actually win tenders, as  long as they have properly registered companies, and that makes a lot of difference. The money that they earn through the tenders ends up being invested locally in Kitui which translates into more money flowing in the local economy, better local development, local jobs and other positive indicators.

Kitui hotels: where can I find good quality hotels in Kitui?

Well, the place to look for good quality hotels in Kitui is within the Kitui town CBD itself. It is within the Kitui CBD where, for instance, you can find the Kiembeni Hotel, a world class facility that is nonetheless still affordable to many. It is also within the Kitui town CBD that you can find the San Marino hotel, yet another world class facility with all the amenities that one would ask for in a hotel. Other hotels that are said to be good within the Kitui CBD are Igloos , Kitui Villa and Talents Hotel. There is also this hotel that is to be found right above Sombe Furnitures in Kitui town, and it looks like a decent low budget hotel…

The rise of decent hotels within Kitui is attributable to the growth of a sizeable middle class in Kitui county. So you find that these members of the middle class want to have a decent place that they can be operating from, whenever they are in Kitui. Or at the very least, they need to have decent places that they can spend the nights in, whenever nightfall finds them in Kitui. I mean, like if you are traveling from Nairobi to Mutha, and 11 Pm finds you in Kitui town, you may decide to spend the night in Kitui town before proceeding with the journey to Mutha the next day – hence the need for a good hotel to stay at.

We also have the various NGOs and government agencies that operate within Kitui county and their senior workers often need decent places to stay while in Kitui, hence the need for decent hotels.

So what we can say in a nutshell is that nowadays, there are indeed some high quality hotels to be found in Kitui town. The way the Kitui town hospitality industry operates is such that you can find a hotel to stay at for almost any budget. And looking around Kitui town, you realize that more and bigger investments are being made in the development of bigger and better hotels – meaning that things can only get better in the coming days.

Kitui high school bus: a reflection on the increase in the number of Kitui high schools buses

I happened to visit Kitui town on a day when there were school sports competitions going on. I was amazed at the huge number of Kitui high school buses moving up and down the town. Hardly 5 minutes could go without one or another school’s bus passing by. There were literally hundreds of them, and in this post-matiang’i era, the Kitui high school buses are very conspicuous due to their yellow color (it is matiang’i who ordered for school buses to be painted yellow, and that has indeed made them stand out).

Yet if my memory serves me right, in the earlier years, only the Kitui School used to have a bus – a battered old machine (I think it was a Leyland or something). The very idea of a school having its own bus used to be incredulous to most of us. Now we find that even the lowliest of high schools in Kitui has a bus to boast of. What does this tell us?

Well, I think the proliferation of Kitui high school buses is testament to the fact that the economy is growing. What I know for sure is that the parents of the 80s and early 90s wouldn’t have afforded to finance the purchase of school buses, even if they wanted. But today’s parents, with just a little prodding, are able to fork out the funds required for the purchase of brand new Isuzu buses.

I also think that the management of Kitui high schools has improved considerably over the years. From an era where most of the Kitui harambee high school headmasters used to be ‘form six’ graduates in the 70s and 80s, we are now in an era where the same schools’ principals tend to be masters degrees holders with vastly different visions.

Could we then eventually get to an era where elite high schools in Kitui would be buying airplanes to offer aviation lessons to their students? I mean, a bus has become too commonplace. Well, only time will tell…

Kitui high school results: What would it take to improve the KCSE results of Kitui High Schools?

I posed the question on what it would take to improve the Kitui high schools results to three experienced educationists.

One of the educationist was of the view that we need to figure out a way of motivating the students in the various Kitui high schools, if at all we are to get good results from them. I could see where he was coming from. I mean, if you encounter the kids who score grades like D plain, D- minus and E in KCSE Kitui, you soon realize that the kids are not stupid. It is just that they lack the motivation to study. So you find a kid with a brain that is good enough to memorize all players in Chelsea or Man U, yet the same kid can’t memorize the elements in the periodic table! What do you conclude – that the kid has a good brain, but lacks motivation to apply it in educational pursuits. So that is what needs to be sorted.

The second educationist was of the view that we need to make huge investments in improving the infrastructure in the various Kitui high schools, if we are to get better results. The kids should be studying in world-class classrooms, having access to world-class laboratories, having access to newspapers, the Internet and other media (for exposure), having access to world class libraries and so on, if at all they are to produce excellent results. Most of the rural schools in Kitui lack even the most basic of such amenities.

The third educationist opined that what needs to be changed is the education system, that the kids in the various high schools in Kitui county do their best, but the system fails them. So according to this educationist, the problem that results in majority of the students getting D plains, D minuses and Es is simply that the KCSE exam is too hard for the average mind. So according to him, it is a 'system' thing…

Kitui hospitals: What can we do to make Kitui public hospitals more effective?

Well, in my view, there are three important things that we need to do, in order to make Kitui hospitals more effective.

Firstly, we need to get the healthcare workers operating in Kitui hospitals to develop a genuine respect for the people who seek their services. This should be a policy issue,  but it needs to be inculcated in the healthcare workers – so that we get to a point where they do it not because it is policy, but because they really see the need for it. This is critical, because the complaint you are likely to encounter from most of the people who seek healthcare services in Kitui is to the effect that they feel that they have been belittled/disrespected by the healthcare workers.

Secondly, we need to make investments in hospital infrastructure: wards, theaters, labs, consultation rooms and so on. It is important to ensure that we invest where the investment is likely to make the biggest impact. I mean, for instance, if in a given hospital you hire extra medical officers or clinical officers, yet you don’t increase the number of consultation rooms, the hiring of the extra personnel is unlikely to make an impact as they wouldn’t be having somewhere to operate from. It is also important to ensure that the labs and imaging facilities (x-ray, CT scan, ultrasounds etc) in various Kitui hospitals actually work. It makes no sense to have an X-ray machine if it is always out of order…

Thirdly, if Kitui hospitals are to be effective, we need to ensure that they are well staffed. An assessment has to be made, for each of the hospitals in Kitui county, to understand how many medical officers it needs, how many clinical officers it needs, how many nurses it needs, how many lab technicians it needs and so on. As things stand, whereas the Kitui county government has made lots of efforts towards improving the staffing of Kitui hospitals, there are still some gaps that need to be filled. One challenge that I think exists is that of getting the higher cadres (like the consultants or even the generalist medical officers) to move to the subcounty hospitals. Yet for an 'hospital' to be worth the name, it needs to have at least some doctors and not just clinical officers manning it. And if there aren’t enough staff, you are likely to find long queues outside the consultation rooms, leading to hurried consultations which in turn is likely to lead to all manner of other issues.

Kitui institute of professional studies: what are the advantages of studying at KIPS?

Last week, I overheard an interesting argument between an old man and his son. The son – who looked like a recent form four graduate – wanted to be enrolled for a course at the Kitui institute of professional studies which is in Kitui town. The old man, on the other hard, seemed to be of the view that the young man should enroll for a course at the local polytechnic in their village at Nguni. So the young man faced the arduous task of demonstrating to his father why enrolling for a course (I think he wanted an accountancy course) at Kitui institute of professional studies would be the better idea... To advance his argument, the young man offered some three points.

Firstly, he pointed out that the Kitui institute of professional studies offers certifications from bodies like KNEC and KASNEB, and that one is likely to have an easier time getting a job while armed with such 'recognized' certifications.

Secondly, he pointed out that the Kitui institute of professional studies is in an urban setting (within Kitui town CBD), and that translates into a number of advantages. It translates into part time work opportunities. It translates into availability of well qualified lecturers, who are attracted to the Kitui town life (but who would be hesitant to work in the far-flung colleges). And it also translates into ‘exposure’ and networking opportunities – all being things that the young man would miss out on if he were to enroll at the Nguni college his old man was keen on getting him into.

Thirdly, he pointed out that the Kitui institute of professional studies is, by itself, a well respected institution within Kitui county. And that being an alumni of Kitui Institute of Professional Studies is likely to translate into an easier time getting a job, as the college is known to produce properly trained professionals. Plus a good number of the mid-level professionals working in and around Kitui town have passed through Kitui institute of professional studies, which means that there is an ‘old boys network’ to tap into – and that could potentially translate into opportunities.

I had to leave before the argument was over, but I got the impression that the young man had by that point succeeded in persuading his father to enroll him at the Kitui Institute of Professional Studies...

Kitui imaging center: How much impact has the Kitui Imaging Center Had?

Well in my view, the Kitui Imaging Center has had a huge positive impact in the lives of Kitui residents.

Firstly, the Kitui imaging center has reduced the distances that Kitui residents have to travel, to access advanced medical services. So you find that some of the services offered at the Kitui imaging center are services that were previously only available in Nairobi. Yet by the time some of the patients get to Kitui town, they have already traveled for hundreds of kilometers. Take, for instance, a patient coming to Kitui town from Mutha or from Endau or from Nuu. Getting to Kitui town for such people is a big deal by itself. It previously used to be very heartbreaking for such patients to learn that the services they were looking for couldn’t be accessed at Kitui – meaning that they would have to travel even further to Nairobi. Some would actually give up at this point and decide to leave everything to fate. But thanks to Kitui imaging center (which charges surprisingly affordable rates), that is no longer the case – and it is a big deal.

Secondly, the Kitui imaging center has reduced the costs that Kitui residents have to incur, in search of advanced medical services. As noted earlier, some of the services on offer at Kitui imaging center are services that would previously have necessitated travel to Nairobi – which would then have meant incurring not just the medical bills, but also fare and accommodation expenses.

Thirdly, the Kitui imaging center has made it possible for Kitui residents to access certain medical services that would otherwise have been out of reach for some of them. Some of the consultants one is able to access at the Kitui imaging center are consultants that were previously only accessible in Nairobi. And because some of the residents of Kitui view Nairobi as ‘too far away’, they would just give up --and leave everything to fate -- on the pursuit of the medical services upon being told that they could only access them in Nairobi. That is no longer the case, as Kitui imaging center has brought world class medical services (at locally affordable rates) to Kitui town.
The Kitui imaging center is located along the entry to Kitui CBD, adjacent to Kitui Township AIC.

Kitui is county no?

Well, the last time I checked, Kitui is county number 15. That is why  you see Kitui county government vehicle number plates start with ‘015 CG’ meaning that it is county number 15. That is also why you find the Kitui governor vehicle number plate being GVN 015 – meaning that it is for county number 15.

The whole thing is under a scheme where Mombasa is county number 001 and Nairobi County Number 047 – with all the counties falling in between.

The Kitui county in question here is based on the original Kitui district, which encompassed both the Kitui and Mwingi regions of Ukambani. So you find that the Kitui county constituencies are based on Kitui region (Kitui Central, Kitui East, Kitui West, Kitui Rural and Kitui South) as well as Mwingi Region (Mwingi Central, Mwingi East, Mwingi West, Mwingi North). There are those who are of the view that there should have been a separate Mwingi county under those circumstances… but that is a story for another day.

What is not in doubt is the fact that Kitui is a very big county, covering more than 30,000 square kilometers, which makes it bigger than some nations. In Kenya, Kitui is probably the biggest non-pastrolist county, but I could be wrong. The county stretches from as far as Athi town (on the Kibwezi Mutomo town,where it borders Makueni) all the way to past Ukasi town on the Garissa road where it borders Tanariver and all the way to past Tseikuru where it borders Tharaka Nithi…

Kitui’s first governor was Dr Julius Malombe, who was deputized by Penina Malonza. The pair were voted out during the 2017 election, with Charity Kaluki Ngilu coming in as the second governor of Kitui, deputized by Dr Wathe Nzau from Mwingi.

Kitui (county number 15) is a member of the South Eastern Kenya economic bloc, which brings together the three ukambani counties of Kitui, Machakos and Makueni.

Kitui (county number 15) borders Machakos, Makueni, Tanariver and Tharaka Nithi counties among others. 

Kitui road industrial area Nairobi: My experience searching for a job at Kitui road in Nairobi’s Industrial Area

Many years ago, I found myself searching for a job at Kitui road, Industial Area, Nairobi. Those days – I don’t know if things have changed nowadays – a good number of the big businesses along Kitui road used to be owned by Indians. The jobs in such businesses would be taxing and low paying, yet folks were still ready to do just about anything to get them.

In the course of searching for a job at Kitui road in Nairobi’s industrial area, I learnt a few things.

Firstly, I learnt that having ‘connections’ is very important, when it comings to searching for a job within Nairobi's industrial area. I mean, you could spend weeks waiting for a job in one of the businesses gates within Kitui road industrial area. Only for a fellow with the right connections to come out of nowhere and be picked for a job within one day. It soon became clear that most of the jobs were being given out on the basis of connections/on the basis of whom one knew on the inside. Those of us waiting for random jobs would end up having to wait for very long durations of time before eventually being called – and that only when a person with connections couldn’t be found.

Secondly, I learnt that the problem of unemployment is very real in Kenya. Some of the individuals I would find looking for manual jobs in Kitui road were folks with excellent qualifications. Some were folks of exceptional intelligence, which unfortunately they couldn’t put into proper use without capital… Yet most of the jobs to be found in Kitui road tended to be in warehouses, as opposed to real factories, meaning that the opportunities were few and far apart.

Thirdly, I came to learn that searching for a job in Kenya is a full-time job in itself. I mean, unless you are very lucky, it can take you up to a year before getting a somewhat permanent job in Nairobi's industrial area.

What ultimately saved me was the fact that I had advanced computer skills. Banking on those, I was eventually able to secure a job elsewhere. But by then, I had already endured a lot of sun and dust in Nairobi’s Industrial Area Kitui road.

Kitui jobs: where and how can I find a job in Kitui?

Well, it depends to a great extent on the type of job you are looking for within Kitui.

One of the places where you can find a job within Kitui is at the county government – that is, at the Kitui county government. But you need to understand that the competition for Kitui county government jobs tend to be stiffer. That is because those county government jobs tend to be the best paying jobs around, and they also tend to be the jobs with the best job security. But if you have the right connections, getting a job within the Kitui county government can actually be very easy.

Another place where you can find a job within Kitui county is within the few industries that operate in the county.

Yet another place where you can find a job within Kitui county is within one of the road construction companies operating in Kitui county. Like for instance, when the Kibwezi-Mutomo-Kibwezi road was being tarmacked, a considerable number of people found jobs there.

Yet another place where you can find a job within Kitui county is within the various personal businesses that operate in Kitui. Some of the bigger businesses tend to hire professional staff in areas like IT, accounts, secretarial, marketing and so on. Others like the cyber cafes could also have positions you can apply for if you have basic computer skills.

You could also find a job within the professionals’ offices that operate in Kitui – like at the various lawyers’ offices, doctors’ offices’, surveyors’ offices… and so on.

There are civil service jobs (within the national government, as opposed to the Kitui county government) that you can apply for within Kitui. From time to time, you also have the various security forces – prisons, police, army, KWS and others coming to the various Kitui subcounties to recruit staff and you can easily get yourself a lifelong career that way.

The various Saccos that operate within Kitui also tend to have jobs from time to time.

Then there are the various supermarkets that operate within Kitui and which also tend to hire staff on an ongoing basis, as do the big hotels and other businesses of that ilk...

Kitui KMTC: Where is the Kitui KMTC Campus and How Does it Operate?

Well, the Kitui KMTC campus is within Kitui town, adjacent to the Kitui general hospital which is nowadays known as Kitui level 5 hospital/Kitui County Referral Hospital. The gate to the Kitui KMTC is along the B7 road. So from Kitui town CBD, you move past Kunda Kindu, and as you start to move towards Wikililye (but stil within Kitui Town) you will find the gate to the Kitui KMTC.

My understanding is that the Kitui KMTC offers most of the courses that are offered within the KMTC system – including nursing courses, medical laboratory technician courses, environmental health courses, clinical officers courses, health records courses… and so on.

The Kitui KMTC is one of the better equipped KMTC campuses, and it helps too that it is attached to a busy hospital (namely Kitui level 5 hospital) which means that the students get a great deal of exposure.

My understanding is that KMTC admissions at centralized, meaning that you simply apply to KMTC, then get posted to Kitui KMTC campus or whichever other campus (but I could be wrong on that).

What I know for sure is that the Kitui KMTC campus has boosted the economy in the area around Kunda Kindu a great deal. I mean, with a student population of 1,000+, most of whom  seem to live in off-campus accommodation, the impact of the Kitui KMTC can be felt for sure. Rental houses that would otherwise be vacant are occupied by the Kitui KMTC students. The Kitui Kenya Medical Training College students are also major customers patronizing the businesses around that area.

If you go to the KMTC website, Kitui campus page (kmtc.ac.ke/kitui), you are likely to find more information about the courses that are offered at Kitui KMTC. At the bottom end of that webpage -- kmtc.ac.ke/kitui, you will find an email address and a phone number you can call to get in touch with the folks in charge of Kitui KMTC.  You just need to go to kmtc.ac.ke/kitui – for all that and more.

Kitui KMTC courses – what courses are offered at the Kenya Medical Training College in Kitui?

Well, the last time I checked on the Kitui KMTC webpage (kmtc.ac.ke/kitui), there are several courses on offer at Kitui KMTC. One of those, and probably the most sought after is the diploma in clinical medicine and surgery. By the time you complete this course at Kitui KMTC campus, you would be a qualified clinical officer, capable of being employed by the government, by an NGO, by a private hospital or even eventually setting up your own private practice. While lucrative, I am told that the KMTC diploma in clinical medicine and surgery offered at Kitui KMTC is also one of the most demanding.

Another course offered at Kitui KMTC campus is the diploma in Kenya Registered community health nursing – probably another of the most widely sought after courses.  By the time you complete that particular course, you would be a qualified nurse, paving the way for you to be employed by the government, or by one of the medical NGOs, or by a private health facility… there have even been cases of Kenya registered nurses getting work abroad because they are very well regarded.

Another of the competitive courses offered at Kenya Medical Training College Kitui is the diploma in Medical Labotorary Sciences. By the time you complete that course, you would be qualified to work as a medical lab technician, which is a very critical and sometimes lucrative role.

The Kitui KMTC campus apparently also has courses at certificate level in environmental health and medical records and information technology… among other areas.

According to kmtc.ac.ke/kitui, the Kitui campus of KMTC was established in the year 2004 and looking at it casually gives the impression that it is one of the best equipped KMTC campuses in Kenya. And it is attached to a relatively busy hospital (Kitui Level 5) which translates into a great deal of positive exposure for the students in the course of their training.

Kitui institute of development studies: where exactly is that college?

Well, the last time I checked, Kitui Institute of development studies was in Kitui town CBD. When you get to Kitui town CBD, you will find that one of the major streets there is known as Kilungya street. It is along the said Kilungya street that you will find the Kitui institute of development studies – somewhere close to Kitui’s Naivas supermarket.

Interacting with a few of the students who study at the Kitui institute of development studies, I came to learn that their school offers a number of certificate and diploma level courses. The students I was speaking to told me that they were enrolled in the certificate courses, and interacting with them, I got the impression that they were getting a decent technical education in a busy urban setting... Two of them told them that they were studying at Kitui institute of development studies (or KIDS as they called it) with a view to get certificates after which they would start looking for jobs. The third one told me that her eyes were trained on the entrepreneurial route after graduating from KIDS, although she wouldn’t mind working for a while initially in order to raise the capital…

What I like about schools like Kitui Institute of Development Studies is the fact that they tend to offer marketable courses. 
It helps too that the urban setting in which the Kitui Institute of Development Studies operates is one that is likely to attract qualified and experienced lecturers (unlike the colleges in the interior that tend to struggle to attract qualified and experienced lecturers). 
And as the students told me, the fees payment arrangements are quite flexible. 
And the fact that the Kitui Institute of Development Studies is in a busy urban setting means that the students get a chance to network with individuals who can help them secure jobs later, and the busy urban setting also translates into opportunities for part-time work which can help in offsetting fees payments. Furthermore, the busy urban setting also means that the kids get lots of exposure which can then help them later in their professional pursuits…

Kitui to Nairobi: How to Travel from Kitui to Nairobi

There are two ways in which you can travel from Kitui to Nairobi.

The first way is where, from Kitui, you take the B7 road up to the Garissa Road Junction, then turn left at that junction and travel past Matuu and Thika and finally into Nairobi. So from Kitui town, you drive down past Kalundu river/riverside, and at the Syongila Junction, you don’t turn but drive straight on – past towns like Kabati, Katutu and Kathiiani up to the Garissa Road Junction. At that Junction, you turn left, then drive past Matuu and Thika in order to get to Nairobi.

The second way to travel from Kitui to Nairobi is where you go via Machakos. So from Kitui town, you drive past kalundu/riverside, then at the Syongila junction, you turn left and drive all the way to Kwa Vonza from where you take the Kitui to Machakos road. Then you drive past towns like Wamunyu, Mwala and Masii onto Machakos. At Machakos, you drive for 16 kilometers to join the Mombasa road at Makutano ma Kyumbi. Then you drive past Lukenya, Athiriver and Mlolongo to finally get to Nairobi. There is yet another alternative where, upon getting to Machakos town, you can take the Machakos Kangundo road, past towns such as Mumbuni, Mutituni, Kaloleni and Kenol before joining the Nairobi Kangundo road at Koma Rock then drive past towns such as Kamulu, Malaa and Ruai to finally arrive at Nairobi on the eastlands side.

The first approach, of driving along the B7 (kabati, katutu and Kathiiani) all the way to Garissa road junction, then driving past Matuu and Thika is arguably the most straightforward way to travel from Kitui to Nairobi.

There are various matatus and Nissan, under saccos such as Kinatwa Sacco, Kinathi Sacco and Umowa Sacco that you can use to travel from Kitui to Nairobi. The Kitui to Nairobi matatus tend to fill up pretty fast and the journey between Kitui and Nairobi should take anything between 2 and 3 hours.

Kitui to Mutomo: How to Travel from Kitui to Mutomo

After the tarmacking of the B7 road which links Kitui town and Kibwezi via Mutomo, the journey between Kitui and Mutomo has become much easier. As anyone who had ever traveled between Kitui and Mutomo in the pre-tarmac days will tell you, it used to be a tiring and time consuming journey. And by the time you got to Mutomo from Kitui, your clothes would be very dirty due to the dust you had to encounter on the way. But that is no longer the case. That is history. Nowadays, it is actually possible to live in Mutomo and work in Kitui town with a daily commute. That is because with a good car, you can cover the 75 or so Kilometers between Kitui and Mutomo in about one hour and 15 minutes. Previously, a minibus would take a minimum of 4 hours to travel from Kitui to Mutomo. But nowadays, the same distance is covered in under 2 hours, even with stops along the way to pick and drop passengers.

Some of the Matatus with operations in the Kitui to Mutomo route include Kinatwa Sacco and Mbikisa Sacco. 

The fare from Kitui to Mutomo is in the 250 to 350 shillings range (as of April 2020).

Some of the towns you are likely to pass by on your journey from Kitui to Mutomo include Wikililye [where there is a junction to mulango and to Kavisuni/Katulani], Chuluni (where there is a junction to Nzambani, Sombe and Malalani), Kisasi(where there is a junction to Kyangunga), Mosa (where there is a junction to Mbitini), then Ikanga, Kyatune, Uae and finally Mutomo town. 
So from Kitui you go to Wikililye. From Wikililye you go to Kyuluni. From Kyuluni you go to Kisasi. From Kisasi you go to Mosa. From Mosa you go to Ikanga. From Ikanga you go to Kyatune. From Kyatune you go to Uae. And from Uae you go to Mutomo town.

Kitui to Machakos: How to Travel from Kitui to Machakos

The Kitui to Machakos route is one of the busiest in Ukambani. If you stand at any point on the way (say, at Kwa Vonza or at Masii) and count the numbers of matatus moving from Kitui to Machakos, you will be amazed. It is like there is a Kitui Machakos matatu passing every 2 or so minutes. But this is understandable, given that Kitui town and Machakos town are Ukambani’s capitals and as such, there are lots of people traveling in between the two centers.

To travel from Kitui to Machakos, you drive along the B7 road, past Kalundu/Riverside then turn left at the Syongila junction. You then drive all the way to Kwa Vonza, where you to take the Kitui Machakos road and drive all the way to Machakos.

The journey between Kitui and Machakos is likely to take you around 2 hours (which can go up to 3 hours if you are using a matatu or bus which has to keep on picking and dropping passengers along the way). The last time I checked, the fare between Kitui and Machakos was in the 300 to 400 shillings range -- April 2020.

If you go to the Kitui main bus park at any time of the day, you are likely to find many Machakos bound matatus. Some are under Kinatwa sacco, others are under Umowa sacco and a host of other saccos. There is also the option of going to Kalundu and boarding one of the Machakos bound matatus that operate on ‘mrengo’ basis from that stage. That is also where you are likely to find the Matatus that operate under the Kinathi sacco banner.

Some of the towns you are likely to pass by on your way to Machakos from Kitui include Kwa Vonza (which is home to the South Eastern Kenya University -- Seku), Wamunyu, Mwala and Masii before finally jetting into Machakos.

Kitui national school: was it too early for Kitui school to be declared a national school?

Last week, I overheard an interesting discussion at one of the pubs in Kitui. The people who were talking were obviously educationists. Their contention was on whether Kitui school was declared a national school too early. One of the fellows was the view that, indeed, Kitui school was declared a national school too early (that is was not yet ready for national school status), whereas the other two were of the view that the declaration of Kitui school as a national school was proper, and in fact long overdue.

In coming to a decision on whether the declaration of Kitui school as a national school was justified, you have to understand the context. So it is a context where the government was keen on ending the clamor for the 18 ‘traditional’ national schools that it decided to pick two schools in each county and elevate them to national school status. So two schools had to be picked from Kitui. The fellow who was against the elevation of Kitui school to national school was put to task, to name any other school that deserved the honor (other than Kitui school).

All said and done, there was consensus that only Kitui school has the history, the performance track record and the infrastructure worth being called a national school in Kitui. The only other schools that come close are saint Charles Lwanga Kitui and Kisasi Boys – but Kitui school is still ahead of them in various respects. And as such, the decision to declare Kitui school as a national school was the best that could be made under the circumstances.

What remains to be seen though is whether the declaration of Kitui school as a national school will translate into improved investments in the school. And whether it will translate into better performance for the school that is known to do well, but which many people feel could do even better.

Kitui news now: using social media to get real time Kitui news

Nowadays, the best way to get Kitui news in real time is arguably through social media. There are two steps that you need to follow, if you wish to start getting real-time Kitui news through social media.

The first step is to identify the right social media platforms, through which you can get Kitui news in real time. So you need to undertake some serious research, to know which Whatsapp groups to join, for real-time Kitui news. You also need to undertake some serious research to know which Facebook pages to start following, for real-time Kitui news. There are also websites, like Kitui online and Mauvoo, which are known to post interesting news from Kitui with decent frequency.

The second step is to join the social media platforms in question. Like if you have identified a Facebook page that has good Kitui news, you can bookmark it and make a point of visiting is regularly. If you have identified a Whatsapp group that has good Kitui news, you can make a point of joining it. If you have identified good websites, like Kituionline and Mauvoo where Kitui news is posted in real-time, you can bookmark the site and make a point of visiting it regularly.

What you need to be aware of is the fact that the news you will be getting from Kitui social media is likely to be unauthenticated, though there tends to be a grain of truth in many of the stories you encounter. You also need to understand that some of the stories you will be encountering will be those of a weaponized nature: stories meant to fight various individuals through propaganda. So it is important for you to have the right media literacy when joining these platforms.

You can also get almost real-time Kitui news through the Kitui-based radio stations such as Syokimau FM, Athiani FM, Wikwatyo FM and County FM – which tend to have reporters in all corners of Kitui county. But then again, you can be sure that the radio stations are unlikely to broadcast news of a speculative nature – the sort of steamy news that you find in Kitui Whatsapp groups and Kitui Facebook pages. But the radio stations can nonetheless be a good source for mainstream news from Kitui.

Kitui newspaper: Would it make economic sense?

Would it make economic sense to launch a Kitui newspaper? That is a question I posed to a certain friend of mine, who works as a media consultant in Nairobi. I was considering launching a Kitui newspaper, which would carry Kitui news exclusively. I was now seeking his views on whether such a venture would make economic sense.

The consultant told me that for sure the need for a Kitui newspaper exists. As in, there is a gap that can be filled through a Kitui newspaper. That is because Kitui is a vast county at more than 32,000 kilometers, making it bigger than some nations. People in one corner of Kitui are likely to be hungry for information on what is happening at the other corner, and that is the gap that a Kitui newspaper can fill.

I pointed out that there are Kitui Whatsapp groups and Kitui Facebook pages filling that gap. But the consultant was quick to tell me that the news found in those Kitui Whatsapp groups and Kitui Facebook pages is of unaunthenticated nature – people still need properly filed news reports. And that is the gap that the Kitui newspaper would fill. Yes, there are Kitui radio stations – the likes of County FM, Athiani FM, Syokimau FM and Wikwatyo FM, but these tend to have limited time slots for news. Meaning that people who want comprehensive news would require a local newspaper…

When I gave the whole matter thought, I came to three conclusions. 
That for a Kitui newspaper to make economic sense/to be affordable to the people, it would have to take pamphlet format (you know, like those 10 bob or 20 bob publications you used to find in Nairobi's railways bus terminus). If you make it too expensive, people will stick to the news they get via Kitui radio stations and Kitui Whatsapp groups. 
Secondly, that it would need to be a weekly publication, or one that comes out twice per week. At least that would have to be the case initially. 
And thirdly, it would need to be in the tabloid format, if people are to agree to part with their hard-earned 10 bob or 20 buy to purchase the Kitui newspaper. 
Yet it would also need to have comprehensive coverage, which would make it necessary for the newspaper to have well-connected reporters/correspondents in at least each of the probably 100+ Kitui locations… 
Still, if you can manage to move 20,000 copies of the publication per week at 20 bob, perhaps it can cover its costs and return a small profit on top…

Kitui agricultural training center: how much impact does it have in Kitui county?

Kitui agricultural training center occupies a prime piece of land, close to Kitui’s Kunda Kindu bus terminus and adjacent to Kitui’s Medical Training College (Kitui KMTC). One question that is often posed with regard to the Kitui agricultural training center is as to how much impact it has in the county.

In understanding the impact of Kitui agricultural training center, you have to understand that the people who graduate from the center end up becoming ‘influencers’ in their local communities. Thus, if person X (say, Mutiso or Mwangangi or Mwende) goes through Kitui agricultural training center, he comes out with knowledge on the best crop husbandry and animal husbandry techniques. Then once he goes back to his village and puts those techniques in practice, his neighbors are likely to notice the improved productivity of his farm. And that is likely to push them into adopting the same crop and animal husbandry techniques. And that is likely to have a ripple effect, as more and more people adopt those proper farming techniques from observation… So in this case, you have the graduate of Kitui agricultural training center inspiring people to adopt proper agricultural practices without having to do any extension work directly…

I therefore think that the greatest impact of Kitui agricultural training center is to the extent that the people who graduate from it end up becoming ‘influencers’ in their local communities.  They influence the local communities to embrace proper agricultural practices, leading to improved agricultural productivity. It is therefore easy to see that were it not for the likes of Kitui agricultural training center, agricultural productivity in Kitui would be much lower than it currently is. Still, if Kitui agricultural training center is to have even more profound impact in the county, there is need for more investment to be made in the center. There may also be need to increase the intake, because moving around Kitui county, you still see gaps – as there are still many areas where modern agricultural practices are yet to be embraced. You find people farming the way it had always been done for years, in spite of today's dwidling land holdings.

Kitui assembly: is it a good idea for the Kitui county assembly to ‘work’ with the governor?

One of the enduring debates about the Kitui county assembly, from the time when Julius Malombe was Kitui governor to now when Charity Kaluki Ngilu is Kitui governor is on whether it is a good idea for the Kitui county assembly to ‘work’ with the governor. The Kitui assembly is based in that modern glass building somewhere opposite the Kitui catholic cathedral and before getting to Kitui’s Kunda Kindu bus and matatu terminus.

There are those who are of the view that the Kitui assembly needs to be constantly at loggerheads with the governor/executive, if proper oversight is to take place.

On the other hand of the debate, there are those who are of the view that more meaningful work is likely to be done if there is good rapport between the Kitui assembly and the governor/executive.

My own view on this matter is as follows: that it is indeed necessary for the Kitui assembly to have good relations with the governor/executive, without getting too cosy. You see, oversight doesn’t mean antagonism. It is possible for proper oversight to take place in a non-antagonistic setting. Oversight doesn’t mean hostility. If you have a county assembly that is openly hostile to the governor, then surely that is likely to have a negative impact on development. 

Coming from a colonial background, many of us are always under the impression that you have to be nasty to get things done. And that is the thinking which leads some MCAs to believe that they have to be hostile to the governor for oversight to take place. Yet modern management best practice is to supervise in a respectful, friendly way – thus getting things done without necessarily being too nasty. And that can be extended to county administration – where the MCAs in the Kitui assembly should aspire to undertake their oversight duties without necessarily being openly hostile to the governor/executive. When you come to think of it, that is the only way we can get things done. Otherwise there is likely to be a lot of push and shove, with the citizens being the losers in the process.

So my verdict is that it is a good idea for the members of the Kitui assembly to ‘work’ with the governor/executive, as long as they don’ get too cozy and as long as they don't neglect their oversight work. 

Kitui airstrip: why is it underutilized?

Well, to the best of my understanding, there is one major reason as to why Kitui airstrip is underutilized. It is in the fact that Kitui town is quite close to Nairobi. Therefore most people prefer to simply drive from Nairobi to Kitui, rather than flying. I mean, the journey from Nairobi to Kitui is less than two hours by road – so why would anyone fly there? So you find that the Kitui airstrip only comes to life when there is a VIP who has to be flown to Kitui, and that is only once in a while. It is unlike, say, the Wajir airstrip which is very busy, considering that the distance between Nairobi and Wajir is big enough to warrant flights.

Still, I think that as Kenya’s economy grows, and as the middle class grows, we are likely to witness growing demand for facilities like the Kitui airstrip. That is where, for instance, I reckon that the number of monied people from Kitui who live and work in Mombasa is huge enough to sustain a passenger service. Thus, if someone were to launch reliable flights between Mombasa and Kitui, perhaps they could get a decent number of passengers. Whereas the distance between Kitui and Nairobi doesn’t warrant flying, the distance between Mombasa and Kitui is big enough to warrant flights. Someone could even try Kitui to Kampala or Kitui to Kisumu flights. Kitui is home to a huge middle class that could buy tickets for such trips, which could eventually culminate in the Kitui airstrip being upgraded to a full-fledged airport: Kitui airport…. For now though, and until we get people with such visions, Kitui airstrip will have to continue operating below its capacity. But for sure, as the Kenyan middle class grows, the need for Kitui airstrip to be put into proper use is likely to arise, as rich executives see the need to fly from one corner of Kenya to the other, rather than enduring long, torturous drives.

Kitui bishop: how do I get to see the Kitui bishop?

Well, my understanding is that all you need to do is book an appointment, if you wish to see the Kitui bishop. So you go to the cathedral or to the bishop’s residence, and state that you wish to see him – then you explain the reason why you need to see the bishop. If the reason you need to see the bishop is viewed as valid, an appointment is booked for you and you eventually get to meet the bishop. Sometimes, depending on the matter at hand, you may get to meet the bishop within hours or even straightaway. Or you may end up having to wait for some days, before eventually getting to see the bishop.

How easily you get to see the bishop is likely to depend on a number of factors.

Firstly, it is likely to depend on your standing within the diocese. If, for instance, you are one of the people who hold leadership positions in the diocese, it is likely to be much easier for you to see the bishop than someone who doesn’t hold a leadership position in the diocese. It also helps if you look like an 'important' person, as opposed to if you look like a person who only wants to ‘bother’ the bishop.

Secondly, it is likely to depend on what you want to see the bishop about. The way these leaders operate is typically such that when a person comes wanting to see him, the secretary/gatekeeper sends a message that there is so and so here and he wants to see you about ABC or XYZ. If the bishops sees that what you want to see him about is important, chances are that he is likely to request for you to be let in straightaway.

Thirdly, it is likely to depend on how busy the bishop is. You have to understand that bishops tend to be busy individuals, typically with hundreds of churches and thousands of staff working under them. Thus, even if the bishop wishes to see you straightaway, the circumstances may be such that he is held up in another meeting, or there other people in the queue ahead of you also seeking to see the bishop. So that would then mean that you have to wait.

The most important thing is to understand that the Kitui bishop is not just a man, but an institution with an able team working with him. Thus, even if you don’t get to meet the bishop personally, as long as you leave the matter with the bishop’s office, it is likely to be sorted out soon or later. 

Kitui county tenders: how do I get to win Kitui county tenders?

Well, to the best of my understanding, if you wish to get Kitui county tenders, there are few important steps you need to follow.

First of all, you need to be always on the lookout for Kitui county tender notices/adverts. All worthwhile Kitui county tenders are advertised, and you need to be on the lookout for these ads. They may be in the newspapers and they may also be in the Kitui county websites. So it is important for you to be checking weekly, or daily if you can, for the Kitui county tender notices.

Secondly, it is important for you to ensure that you put up proper bids for the Kitui county tenders. So you attach all the required documents, ensure that you provide all the information that the Kitui county tender committee is likely to require, and ensure that you place your bids for Kitui county tenders in good time. You have to understand that almost all Kitui county tenders have deadlines, and ensure that you place your bid well ahead of the deadline. If you wait for the last minute, you are likely to have a difficult time as the online tender placement systems tend to ‘hang’ at such last minutes as all people try to access them at the same time.

Thirdly, it is important to ensure that you only bid for Kitui county tenders that you have proper capacity to work on. If you bid for a tender that you don’t have proper capacity for, chances are that you will be disqualified, as each tender is carefully assessed for technical and financial capacity.

Fourthly, it is important to ensure that you bid for tenders that are meant for you. Like for instance if you are an able-bodied middle-aged man, and you bid for a Kitui county tender that is reserved for the youth or for a Kitui county tender that is reserved for the disabled or for a Kitui county tender that is reserved for women, you are unlikely to win it. So you need to go through the tender notices carefully, to ensure that you don’t bid for a Kitui county tender that is not meant for you/that is reserved for other people.

It may be important for you to interact with and if possible befriend people who have a track record of winning Kitui county tenders for them to help you understand how the ‘system’ works.

Kitui county KCSE results: A commentary

Looking at Kitui county KCSE results can be a depressing affair. You find a few – typically less than 2,000 students – scoring truly good grades – between A and B+. The sorts of grades that can get the students admitted to university for competitive courses in fields like medicine, law and engineering. Then you have another like 3,000-5000 with decent grades, between B plain and C+. The numbers increase somewhat for weaker but decent grades, like those in the C plain to D+ range. But majority of the students end up failing, with D plain, D- and E. To be fair, this is not a Kitui county thing, but rather a national thing. Yet when you get a chance to interact with the Kitui county students who score those poor grades (D plain, D- Minutes and E) you realize that they are actually not stupid chaps/ladies. They are reasonably intelligent kids, who have been ‘wasted’ by the system.

Most of the kids who get such poor grades tend to be individuals who lack motivation. So you find that those who get As and Bs are not necessarily more intelligent. They just happen to be more motivated to learn. And those who fail are not necessarily stupid, but just lack the motivation to learn. That is why you will find a kid somewhere in Mutha or Tyaa Kamuthanga who knows all players in Chelsea and Manchester United and Manchester City by heart. Yet he can’t apply the same brain to know all the chemicals in the periodic table. The same brain that can master all players in Chelsea can surely master the elements in the periodic table but what the kid lacks is motivation. Many of these kids come from dysfunctional families, where too much strictness has bred a pathological rebellion in them which sees them not exerting themselves fully in their studies...

There is of course also the fact that those day schools in the interior are not very well equipped and some lack adequate numbers of qualified teachers. And the kids lack role-models, as in, they don’t know the end they are working hard at school towards. They don't know how much difference it makes to be a doctor rather than a clinical officer. Or how much difference it makes to join the army as a cadet rather than a recruit. They are not exposed to such things. 
And then there is also the feeling in some quarters that the KCSE exam is simply too hard for the kids, hence the dismal performance countrywide. You can’t dismiss these sentiments when you look at the sorts of questions kids are expected to answer in KCSE – especially when you consider kids in farflung corners of Kitui who lack exposure.  So you find that the KCSE is not just a general education examination, but also a pre-university exam that is too taxing on average minds.

Kitui cathedral choir: why is the Kitui cathedral choir so good?

The Kitui cathedral choir (Our Lady of Africa Kitui Catholic Choir) is truly a world-class outfit. That is the conclusion you come to, whenever you get a chance to listen to them singing in a mass.  Or when you listen to any of their recordings. Listening to the Kitui cathedral choir at work, you quickly realize that it is performance is at par with that of any world class choir anywhere in the world. And that leads to the question as to how the Kitui cathedral choir has been able to attain such high standards.

In my assessment, one of the factors that has led to Kitui cathedral choir’s excellence is good financing. For the choir operating at the bishop’s seat, it has to be well financed which in turn translates into good performance.

Another factor that has likely led to Kitui cathedral choir’s excellence is good leadership. Looking at how well the Kitui cathedral choir is coordinated, you don’t need a compass to figure out that there is good leadership structure behind it all. So that is leadership in terms of the choir masters as well as strategic leadership on the part of the cathedral/diocese which coordinates the choir’s operations at a higher level.

Yet another factor that has likely led to Kitui cathedral choir’s excellence is dedication by the members. Listening to the Kitui cathedral choir singing, you easily see that they must have put hundreds if not thousands of hours into practice, for them to become so good. And that is testament to the members’ dedication. It helps too, of course, that the Kitui cathedral choir operates in an urban setting, meaning that the members are mostly individuals who operate on fixed schedules, which probably makes the scheduling of choir practice easy. And the urban setting also means that the members probably don’t have to travel too far to get to the cathedral for practice. You can’t compare it with a rural choir, whose members have to walk for long distances to attend practice sessions and whose members operate on unpredictable rural schedules.

Kitui catholic choir: where can I get Kitui catholic choir songs?

Last week, I got an opportunity to listen to some very nice catholic songs which I later came to learn were done by the Kitui catholic choir. You only need to listen to the songs for a couple of minutes, to understand that the Kitui catholic choir (Our Lady of Africa Kitui Catholic Choir) is a serious group of singers. Later, I started trying to figure out where I could get the Kitui catholic choir songs.

Someone suggested that I should try the various stores where Kamba music is sold. That there is a good chance of me finding at least some of the recordings done by Our Lady of Africa Kitui Catholic Choir. So I reckon that that is one of the ways in which one can lay hands on Kitui Catholic Choir songs – by visiting the various Kamba music stores.

When I went online to search for Kitui catholic choir songs, I discovered that a good number of them are on YouTube. So this means that YouTube is yet another place where you can find the songs that were done by Our Lady of Africa Kitui Catholic Choir. Just search for ‘kitui catholic choir’ or for ‘our lady of Africa’ Kitui songs and you will find them.

Yet another place online where you may find Kitui catholic choir songs for sale is on the Amazon website. So you just go to Amazon and conduct a search for Kitui catholic choir songs or for our lady of Africa Kitui catholic songs.

There is also the possibility of finding Kitui catholic choir songs on Spotify. Again, it is just a question of going to the spotify website, and undertaking a search for Kitui catholic choir songs or for our lady of Africa Kitui catholic songs.

Whichever approach you use, listening to Kitui catholic choir songs, you soon discover that you are listening to a dedicated and well-practiced group of singers.

Kitui district hospital: where is it and how does it operate?

The Kitui district hospital/Kitui level 5 hospital is in Kitui town. It is somewhere just above the Kitui Kunda Kindu matatu/bus terminus. There is a shortcut that pedestrians use, from Kunda Kindu, through the Kitui county health team offices, to Kitui level 5 hospital. If you are driving, you will need to branch off the highway/B7 road, turn right near the catholic cathedral, then turn right upon getting to the government offices’ road and drive for around 500 meters to get to the Kitui district hospital.

The Kitui district hospital is a big facility, with various wards, specialist clinics, imaging facilities, laboratories and a medical school (KMTC, Kitui campus) attached to it. It has general practitioners (medical officers and clinical officers), a huge army of nurses, surgeons, obstetriacians/gynecologists, orthopedicians, physiotherapists, dentists, psychiatrists and all other sorts of specialists one would expect in a referral hospital. 

For sure, the Kitui county government seems to have made a genuine effort in getting the Kitui district hospital to be properly staffed. Previously, it used to operate as a level 4 facility but was upgraded to level 5 at some point – making it a major referral facility. Which is just as well, considering the huge catchment area that is served by the hospital, I mean, at more than 32,000 square kilometers, Kitui county is bigger than some nations. It can be very unfair to tell someone who has traveled more than a hundred kilometers, say, from Endau or from Mutha that they can’t get the services they are looking for at Kitui, meaning that they have to travel further…

For sure, Kitui district hospital is a congested facility, given the huge catchment area and population it serves. Yet it also has a dedicated workforce and moving around the facility, you get the impression that everything that can be done to help the patients is being done. That said, you should expect to spend quite a bit of time waiting for your turn, especially if what you have is not exactly an emergency. It is not uncommon to queue for twenty or more minutes at the records department, half an hour or more at the outpatient department, and a further 20-40 minutes at the pharmacy. But if you are patient, you do eventually get your turn. There can also be a bit of sharing in the wards (if you are admitted as inpatient), and it helps if you can stay around to assist your patient with basic needs as the nurses are often overstretched. 

Kitui deputy governor: how do I get to see the Kitui deputy governor?

Well, to the best of my understanding, seeing the Kitui deputy governor should be fairly easy, if what you want to see him about is a worthwhile thing. The first step you need to take, if you wish to see the Kitui deputy governor, is figure out where his office is. So you go to Kitui county government offices, and enquire as to where the deputy governor’s office is. If you look like an ‘important’ person, you will be given directions to the Kitui deputy governor’s office without too much ado. If you don’t look like an 'important' person, you may be hassled a bit, before eventually being shown where the Kitui deputy governor’s office is. It is not that the folks there are discriminatory – far from it – it just how bureaucracy works everywhere in the world.

Having known where the Kitui deputy governor’s office is, the next step is for you to present yourself there. Again, things are likely to be easier for you if you give the impression that you are an important person. Like if you arrive at the offices driving, rather than walking. You will probably have to get speak with the guards (which means demonstrating to them that you have a valid reason for being there), to be allowed to face the secretaries inside.

You then need to tell the secretaries that you wish to see the deputy governor. They will in all probability want to know who you are and what you want to see the deputy governor about. Don't take it personally, they are at work and that is their work. You will then be probably told to wait, as your case is handled. Of course, if what you wish to see the Kitui deputy governor is something that can be handled by other officials, you may be directed to the relevant offices. I mean, if the million plus residents of Kitui were all to see the deputy governor, the poor man couldn’t cope... That is why there exists a team around the deputy governor, to handle cases that can be dealt with at lower levels. Still, if your case warrants seeing the deputy governor in person, you are likely to be given an appointment – straightaway or on another date. You would then need to ensure that you are on time for the appointment, in order to finally meet the leader. I guess that is how it works, or at least that is how it is supposed to work, but that is just my thinking.

Kitui diocese bishop: what does it take to be Kitui diocese bishop?

Sometime ago, I overhead an interesting discussion between some two gentlemen. The discussion was on why the Kitui diocese has gone for so long without a bishop. One of the gentlemen was of the view that the reason as to why Kitui diocese had gone for so long without a bishop was because no qualified person could be found. And that led to another discussion on what it actually takes to be Kitui diocese bishop, and by extension why it is so hard to find a qualified person.

Only the church’s top hierarchy knows for sure what it takes to be Kitui diocese bishop. What I know on my part is that one needs to be an exceptional cleric, to rise to the position of Kitui diocese bishop. I mean, it is important to understand that when one is appointed bishop of a diocese like Kitui, he automatically becomes in charge of billions worth of assets, is expected to shepherd over hundreds of thousands of faithful and is expected to manage hundreds, if not thousands of staff. So obviously one needs to be of a very high caliber.

I get the impression that for one to be Kitui diocese bishop, he needs to have excellent pastoral and leadership skills. And obviously one also needs to be  an excellent theologian, because as bishop, one ends up being in charge of other great minds, including the seminaries in the diocese. 
The challenge is likely to arise in getting someone who has the right combination of pastoral and leadership skills. I mean, you may find someone who is an excellent pastor, but lacks the leadership skills. Or you find someone else who is an excellent leader but a mediocre pastor. Yet in a bishop, you need someone who would liaise with the local civil government authorities, someone who would adjudicate on canon law matters and someone who would manage the diocese and preside over important functions. And you also need someone who is acceptable to both the clergy and the laity. So when all is said and done, it becomes hard to find someone with all the necessary qualities, which is why the office of Kitui diocese bishop sometimes takes so long to fill.

Kitui district: just how big is the Kitui district?

Well, the original Kitui district (on which the current Kitui county is based) was a very vast district. It is said to be over 32,000 square kilometers, making it larger than some of these nations you hear about.

For you to understand just how big Kitui district/Kitui county is, you need to travel from one end of it to another. In between, you are likely to cover 150 to 200 kilometers to move from one end of Kitui district/Kitui county to the other. I mean, just think about – moving from one end of Kitui in Mutha to another end in, say, Ukasi. Between Mutha and Ukasi, you are looking at anything from 200 to 250 kilometers, and all that is within the same county. Or take another example, of the distance between Athi (on the Kibwezi Mutomo highway where Kitui district starts) and Endau on the other end of Kitui. In between, you are looking at more than 150 kilometers.

Many people have argued that Kitui district actually ought to have been divided into two: giving rise to Kitui district and Mwingi district (which then at 2010 would have given rise to Kitui county and Mwingi County). The only problem is in the fact that Kitui district previously used to be viewed as a sparsely populated district. Thus, whereas the folks at the top would have seen sense in dividing it on the basis of its geographical area, they used to argue that the population residing in it wouldn’t justify it. But that argument can’t hold water today, given the fact that Mwingi region has grown population-wise to a level where it now has is it 4 or 5 constituencies – Mwingi East, Mwingi West, Mwingi Central, Mwingi North and so on. That is on top of Kitui regions own constituencies like Kitui East, Kitui West, Kitui South, Kitui Rural, Kitui Central and so on. So you see for sure that Mwingi is like a different region within the same county – hence the calls for creation of Mwingi county.

All said and done, the former Kitui district was very vast, and it is hard to understand how the Kitui DC, sitting at Kitui town, was able to administer such a vast region, especially at a time when communication infrastructure was not very well developed.

Kitui east constituency: where exactly is the Kitui east constituency?

Well, to the best of my understanding, Kitui east constituency is the one that covers areas like Sombe, Kyamatu, Mutitu, Malalani, Mwitika and Endau. It is one of Ukambani’s largest and remotest constituencies. 

One of the ways to get to Kitui East from Kitui town is to take the B7 road, then when you get to Chuluni, you turn left and follow that road to centers like Sombe, Malalani, Mutitu and Endau… There is probably another route from Kitui town through Miambani, though I am not very conversant with it so I can’t comment on it. 

Most of the matatus and minibuses serving the Kitui East constituency can be found at Kitui town’s Kunda Kindu terminus. They include the likes of ‘Master’.

The drive from Kitui town to Kitui east (areas like Sombe, Mutitu,  Malalani and Endau) is a brutal affair. Whereas some effort has been made to grade the roads, you can imagine what a 100 kilometer drive on an untarmarcked roads is like. Let’s just say that it is the sort of journey you have to prepare for well in advance. But it is still an enjoyable journey, with beautiful scenery, lots of donkeys and interesting people along the way. Kitui east consistuency has the most hardcore of Athaisu Kamba people, with well-kept traditions. It is arguably in Kitui East that you can find Kamba culture at its purest. At some point along the journey, you will encounter a small isolated tarmacked piece of road. It was set up to help vehicles climb the steep river valley, and though it looks misplaced, it has actually helped people a great deal as previously vehicles were known to end up being stuck there for days whenever it rained.

The current MP for Kitui East is Nimrod Mbai and before him I think was Marcus Mutua Muluvi. This is the constituency that was previously known as Mutitu constituency under Kiema Kilonzo.