Baptism of fire for Embu Woman Rep Jane Wanjuki as her projects trolled on social media

Embu Woman Representative Jane Wanjuki donates eggs, sufuria and a bucket to a reformed street urchin to empower him to start a business. She has been a victim of social media attacks and trolling. [Joseph Muchiri, Standard]

Since she was elected the Embu Woman Representative in August 2017, Jane Wanjuki has been a victim of frequent social media attacks and trolling.

After being overwhelmingly elected on Jubilee Party ticket with 95, 435 votes beating her closes challenger who garnered 31, 826 votes; Wanjuki has known no peace online as cyberbullying and insults seem to follow her every social media post.

Popularly known as Thitima, the MP’s latest tirade of social media attacks were triggered by photos she posted on her official Facebook page showing her donating bedding and gear to start small businesses for reformed street children.

Her critics claimed one of the beneficiaries of eggs and equipment to start a hawking business was a minor.

They went ahead to question why she should provide bedding to street children instead of a shelter.

All manner of trolls were howled her way, even drowning the few people online who stood by her.

“This is just a joke of the year. How can you give street children capital to start a business?

"The first step was to take them to rehab,” a user commented on Wanjuki’s post.

Yet Wanjuki is unperturbed by her critics and vows to continue serving the electorate in the best way God enables her.

“There are people who are always negative about you whether you are doing a good or bad thing. They have decided to fight me in everything I do. Some are paid by their masters to fight me, but I have no time for them. I neither respond nor will take any action against them since that will be stooping to their level,” she said yesterday.

She clarified that the beneficiaries of her empowerment project were reformed street children who through their leaders approached her and requested for assistance.

She donated bedding to four reformed street children and capital for starting small businesses to about 15 other beneficiaries.

For the girlish looking beneficiary spotting a headgear and who critics claimed was a minor, Wanjuki explained that she was a married mother of two. She identified her as Mrs Makumi.

“She is married by a former street urchin and they are both reformed. She is a born again woman and has been helping rehabilitate children from the streets,” said the legislator.

Wanjuki said she had in June had a luncheon with the street children at her office where the urchins had a chance to showcase their talents.

“We then held an open forum moment and amongst the issues raised by them were joblessness, a place to rest and their urge for education. That caught my heart.

“I pledged to work with their reformed leaders and buy school uniform, pay school fees and any other needed requirement for anyone ready to go back to school. I also pledged to give start-up capital to the most appealing and sustainable business ideas, which will be vetted by their leader with the help of my office,” she said.

Wanjuki was also to pay rent for the first months and furnish houses with basic needs for those who agreed to quit sniffing glue and get engaged in small businesses to sustain the programme.

They finally agreed to have a feedback meeting later so that they can roll out the programme.

Whereas she has rolled out the programme, she says she was surprised by the negative energy from her critics.

Through the National Government Affirmative Action Fund, Wanjuki had since the onset of the rainfall season been providing avocado, mangoes and macadamia seedlings to farmers.

Besides, she has been issuing month-old kienyeji chicks and tents to groups to empower them.

This has not escaped the wrath of social media trolls who claimed she collected Sh500 to register each individual who received a single seedling.

“The seedlings distribution program was funded by the national government and I issued them free of charge to farmers in all locations,” she stated.

This did not calm to her critics. During a service at Victory Manifestation Christian Celebration Centre church, she urged the church’s Bishop Apostle Nelson Kinoti to pray for her to defeat the detractors, who she said were Satan possessed and required redemption.

Wanjuki was a successful businesswoman before joining politics. She had also worked at Telkom Kenya for many years.