By Our Reporters
Worth Noting:
- In the past, the major focal points for business startups were those run or managed by people from the region, particularly those from the former Central province which includes nowadays Kiambu, Murangβa, Nyeri,Β Nyandarua and Kirinyaga counties.
- Statistics shows that traders from other regions, more so from Northern Kenya have with time eaten into areas that were in almost full control of guys the mountain region.
- Thousands of traders whose origin is near the highest mountain in the country have been driven out of their trades with those from the hitherto dry areas taking over.
- No one seems to know where the rain started beating the mountaineers but some pundits put selfishness and imaginary entitlement as key ingredients in their fall from grace to glass.
Things are no longer rossy in Mt Kenya region.
This place that has always boasted of leading in population growth and business acumen might in the next few years be a shadow of its past.
Projections by experts point to a region that may, in the next two decades, lose its relevance and become a laughing stock.
To start with, people from other regions have, with time, been eating into their business dominance.
It is no longer a walkover and a reference point for those entering various business sectors.
In the past, the major focal points for business startups were those run or managed by people from the region, particularly those from the former Central province which includes nowadays Kiambu, Murangβa,Β Nyeri,Β Nyandarua and Kirinyaga counties.
Statistics shows that traders from other regions, more so from Northern Kenya have with time eaten into areas that were in almost full control of guys the mountain region.
Thousands of traders whose origin is near the highest mountain in the country have been driven out of their trades with those from the hitherto dry areas taking over.
No one seems to know where the rain started beating the mountaineers but some pundits put selfishness and imaginary entitlement as key ingredients in their fall from grace to glass.
And as though that is not enough, the mountain region population has been dwindling by the day.
Projections by experts, among them the Kenya Bureau of Statistics shows that in the next two decades, some counties in this region will have been overtaken by some which are currently considered as sparsely populated.
The ‘Tyranny of Numbers’ phenomenon that propelled former President Uhuru Kenyatta and his then Deputy William Ruto to Presidency might be a thing of the past if the current population trend maintains the same trajectory.
This tyranny issue also played a significant role during last August’s General Election where Kenya Kwanza administration garnered 41 per cent of their entire votes.
The issue of business and population dominance slipping from the mountain region has been a headache to some local leaders who avers that something must be done before it is too late.
One such crusader is businessman cum politicianΒ Dr Thuo Mathenge who says if nothing is done, soon, the region will be where the Igbo community in Nigeria is today.
Despite dominating the population in the Western Africa country,Β the Igbo no longer have control in business or politics, having been overtaken by other communities in that most populous country in the continent.
For some time, Dr Mathenge who is also the National chairman of The New Democrats (TND) political party has been lamenting over mountain region’s unity and numbers insisting that within no time the region will be making no sense in national statistics as far as government formation and power sharing in concerned.
Dr Mathenge and several other leaders attribute the decline in population to lack of proper leadership both in politics and religious organizations.
Leaders interviewed by this publication hit out at the church doctrine that condemns polygamy saying failure by locals to marry more than one wife could be one of the reason the population is going down by the day.
However, on the other hand, most of the clergy and some politicians think the population decline is as a result of overindulgence in alcohol.
Yesterday, Dr Mathenge posted in his social media account, “In mainstream and social media, public gatherings and courtesy calls, I categorically stated the negative impact of illicit brews and churches in our families. KIKUYUS WE ARE PERISHING!”.
He added that some other communities were taking over and buying out those from the mountain.
Although he said that he was not against any kind of investment, he urged his region to open up their eyes and face the reality, insisting that “our tomorrow matters” and “it is not too late for our great community to get back into the senses”.
According to some reports,
the population of Murangβa County, which stood at one million in 2019, is projected to rise to 1.3 million by 2045 while Mandera County which had a population of 887,280 in 2019, is projected to overtake Murangβa and record a population of 1.5 million in 2045.
Kilifi county which had a population of 1.5 million in 2019, could also outpace Murangβa to attain a 2.2 million population by 2045.
Residents of mountain counties are said to be bearing and average of three children per family while those in others area, like Mandera,Β Wajir, Garissa, Tana River andΒ Isiolo are getting up to six children.
Several leaders from Mt Kenya region led by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua have in the past attributed low population growth to consumption of illicit brews in the region.
Currently a crackdown on such brews is going on with County Assemblies being expected to come up with laws that will address the menace.
However, some pundits say the low population could be attributed more to loss of income, where some people consider it a burden to have a family without a steady income.
High unemployment rates and poor farming proceeds are blamed more.
