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{
"id": 924062,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/924062/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Mwaura",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 13129,
"legal_name": "Isaac Maigua Mwaura",
"slug": "isaac-mwaura"
},
"content": "as the first Kenyan, in the hotel industry. He also started the Hillcrest Group of Schools and the Alliance Group of Hotels. Some of the very well-known ones are Naromoru River Lodge, Jadini hotels and African Safaris. He also did flower farming and was the founder of Orchid Kenya Limited. By the age of 35, Hon. Matiba had employed over 300 people in his flower farm. One of the things that is quite interesting about this gentleman is that while not serving as a Member of Parliament (MP), he was able to mobilise the people of Mbiri Constituency, now Kiharu Constituency, to buy a 12,000 acre farm in Laikipia County called Wangu Investment. On this farm, they grew wheat, barley and other crops, and it is still going strong. This is somebody who looked at how to empower his own people. Later on, he also invested as a major shareholder in Carbacid Investments, which has been selling carbon dioxide. Interestingly, he was not a selfish man. While he was serving as the PS for Commerce, he is the one who introduced His Excellency Daniel arap Moi to business by having him start the Rift Valley Beer Distribution Company, which is one of the first companies that he owned. He rose to become the Managing Director of Kenya Breweries Ltd (KBL), where he ran a very successful football club in the league at that time. Hon. Matiba rose to become the first African Executive Chairman of the East African Breweries Limited (EABL). Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, Hon. Matiba together with the late Hon. John Michuki and one other person, bought a plane from the United Kingdom (UK) to start a plane business, but were denied a license. It is, indeed, a phenomenon to see the contribution of this gentleman. When it comes to education, Hon. Matiba negotiated with the UK Government when Russians wanted to take over the Templar Barracks in Kahawa. He negotiated with the UK Government for Templar Barracks to be converted from an Army barrack to Kenyatta Teachers College, which is currently Kenyatta University. This is a great achievement for the advancement of education in Kenya. He also worked on the contract that created the Kenya Science Teachers College (KSTC), which is currently a constituent college of the University of Nairobi. Indeed, Hon. Matiba was also among the people who championed for the establishment of Murang’a Technical College, currently Murang’a University of Technology to be a technical college. You can see that he was a man who loved education and went out of his way to ensure that the people were benefitting from his leadership, and he led by example. Indeed, the administration block in my former primary school, Thika School for the Blind, is sponsored by Hon. Matiba. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, Hon. Matiba was also a great sportsperson. When he was defeated in the football elections, he broke ranks and established the Kenya Football Federation (KFF) in 1974. It is during his leadership that Harambee Stars won the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Senior Challenge Cup for the first time in the history of our football in the country. He sustained the KFF by financing it personally through occasional matches between Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards and also booking all the stadia in the country to lock out competition. He was a The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}