Njonjo was an effective MP who initiated many projects

Congratulations to Charles Mugane Njonjo (pictured) as you celebrate your 100th birthday tomorrow.

Allow me to reminisce on your remarkable career and development record in what was then Kikuyu Constituency.

I first met you in person in 1980. You had just been elected unopposed as the MP for Kikuyu, and you literally hit the ground running.

As one of your first development projects, you commissioned the Kenya Bus Services (KBS) on major roads in Kikuyu. On the inauguration day, you rode on one of the buses and stopped at a bus stop in my village, Muthure. I had just turned 12 and was excited to see the brand new buses.

As the constituents ululated, jostled and pushed to have a rare handshake with you, you lectured the men in our midst, warning them against demolishing the beautiful bus shelters that you had helped erect, through sponsorship from the Lions Club.

Many might not know this, but alcoholism in Kiambu County has been around for a while. I still recall the tough warning you issued in Gikuyu: “For the men who will be tempted to demolish and sell these iron sheets to get cash for chang'aa, be warned that you will face the full force of the law.

These are shelters for the industrious women you see here who wake up in the wee hours to sell farm produce and other merchandise in Marigiti (Wakulima Market)."

I still recall how you staged ‘a bloodless coup’ by having the serving MP, Amos Ng'ang'a, step down for 'personal reasons'; while you also resigned as the Attorney General.

You were determined to ease the problems faced by women, and thus commissioned tens of boreholes to ensure that they would never break their backs carrying heavy jerricans of water over long distances.

This gave birth to projects like the Gitaru and Kanyariri self-help water projects, among others. You rehabilitated roads, improved schools, built churches, enhanced security, and encouraged entrepreneurship.

A rundown public nursery school in my village was turned into a modern early childhood centre, complete with mattresses for the children to take naps.

At a time when adults slept on home-made mattresses filled with grass, the donation was a marvel. Mary Leakey Girls and ACK Rukubi Primary schools also have buses courtesy of your generosity.