Gathoni wa Muchomba Biography
Gathoni wa Muchomba is a media personality turned politician. She was born and brought up in Komothai, Githunguri in a family of four and a step-family of 11. She is the current Women Representative for Kiambu county.
Gathoni wa Muchomba Age
Wamuchomba is a very private person when it comes to her personal details . Thus her real age is not known.
Gathoni wa Muchomba Family
Raised in Komothai, Githunguri, in a nuclear family of four and a stepfamily of 11, wa Muchomba has in the past unapologetically referred to her father as “an irresponsible drunkard who cared very little for the family.”
Gathoni wa Muchomba said his fathers’ behavior affected her relationship with men so negatively that she vowed never to get married.
Gathoni wa Muchomba Education
Having emerged the best in her district in her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam, Gathoni joined Precious Blood Riruta where she was, at one time, almost forced to drop out due to lack of school feed but a ‘Good Samaritan’ came to her aid.
The Japanese national, was – coincidentally – a volunteer teacher at the same institution Gathoni’s mother worked as a casual labourer; Komothai Girls School.
While at Precious Blood, Gathoni wa Muchomba, detested half-term breaks because her mother could not afford the Ksh.2 for her bus fare.
“This meant I had to hike a lift and if I was not lucky, I would stay home for some days.”
Gathoni then joined Makuyu Secondary School as an untrained teacher, and later enrolled at the University of Nairobi for a Bachelor’s degree in Education.
While in her second year, Gathoni was offered a job by one of her lecturers; a job which saw her travel around the country documenting the activities of farmers at the grassroots level.
These activities saw her clips aired on the national broadcaster, KBC, which later earned her a job as a presenter at Kameme FM while in her fourth year of study.
Gathoni wa Muchomba Child / Daughter
Gathoni wa Muchomba later returned to the same university for a Masters Degree in Communication, during which period she got pregnant with her first child; Melissa Wanjiru in 2003.
While declaring her interest in the race for the Kiambu Woman Representative, wa Muchomba caused a stir in the region when she publicly declared that the then incumbent Ann Nyokabi, a relative of President Uhuru Kenyatta, did not scare her.
“I’m not unseating the incumbent because I have more resources or she is related to someone. She has just not delivered,” said told a local paper.
Gathoni wa Muchomba Media Career
While she was at the University of Nairobi during her second year a lecturer, Mary Ngechu identified her effort and offered her a job. She had a project, Radio listeners group, for the University broadcast under an NGO, European Economic Community (EEC). Gathoni’s role was to identify what farmers were doing at the grassroots level. She traveled all over Kenya recording shows on agriculture which were later aired on KBC.
In 1999, while she was in fourth year, Rose Kimotho was about to open a vernacular radio station Kameme FM where she got the job and started airing the popular Canjamuka show from 9 am to 1 pm. She would be at the radio station by 6 am and work until 5 pm, after which she would return to campus to work on assignments and study.
In 2004, Royal Media Services Chairman SK Macharia approached her in a church and persuaded her to ditch Kameme for his radio station, Inooro which was yet to be launched by then. He tripled her salary which motivated her to join Inooro. At Inooro, Gathoni ruled the airwaves for three years with local polls ranking her as the favourite vernacular radio presenter.
In 2005, she started Smart Media College in Nairobi, which later opened branches in various towns including Nakuru.
In 2016, she opened a digital vernacular television channel, Utugi TV, which she says aim is to help farmers since 99 per cent of the programs are based on agriculture.
10 Things you did not know about Gathoni Wa Muchoba
- Gathoni wa Muchomba successfully vied for the Kiambu women rep in 2017 and won it on a Jubilee ticket.
- Gathoni wa Muchomba was born and brought up in a local village named Komothai, Githunguri
- Gathoni wa Muchomba graduated at the University of Nairobi with two degrees, namely Masters Degree in Communication and Bachelors Degree in Education.
- Wa Muchomba later joined on KBC TV were she recorded farmers’ plight on her Agriculture TV show
- Gathoni also hosted Canjamuka show from 9 to 1 pm on Kameme FM in 1999
- Wa Muchomba was able to put on comfortably two caps durig this time, where she worked at Kameme and at the same time studied.
- Gathoni wa Muchomba was later on again, in 2004, persuaded to join Royal Media Services, where she featured on Inooro FM
- After 3 years, Gathoni was voted as the best FM vernacular presenter
- Gathoni wa Muchomba owns Smart Media College in Nairobi which has several branches including notable ones in Nakuru city
- In 2016, Wa muchomba opened a digital vernacular television channel, Utugi TV, which she says aim is to help farmers since 99 per cent of the programs are based on agriculture.
Here is a video of the occasion
Give us jobs, not wives: Kiambu men tell Gathoni Wa Muchomba
Kiambu Woman Rep Gathoni wa Muchomba, popularly known as ‘Minji Minji’, has asked men to be polygamous.
According to the controversial MP who is an only wife, marrying several wives will reduce cases of infidelity and the number of children born out of wedlock.
“We need to be honest. Where are the fathers of these children being raised by single mothers? Why do we want to pretend that this is not a problem? For me, as much as we are talking about our church and culture, we need to go back to the drawing board to discuss this issue and come up with a solution,” said Wa Muchomba at the gender based violence recovery centre in Wangunyu in Karura.
“We give birth to these children, and we do not want to own up to the problem. My advice is simple. If you are a man from the Kikuyu community, and you can sustain five wives, have them and if you are a man and you are in a position to bring up many children, do it.”
That advice has elicited mixed reactions from Kiambu residents.
People like Josphat Mbugua, a carpenter, supports the MP, claiming that it would tame wives who have become arrogant over little or no competition for the man.
“We have been living in hell because of marrying one wife who serve us cold meals. We are tired. I am more than ready to marry four wives and will not use Viagra because I have the stamina. I support our Woman Rep on this. She has a point. It’s high time we embrace this because it’s the only way we can curb infidelity in our homes. If she continues supporting us this way, we will vote for her again. Analilia wanaume sana (she’s really fighting for the welfare of men),” said Mbugua.
But Wanjiru Kago wonders why the politician would encourage men to marry more wives when they have abandoned their children who are loitering in the streets.
“I disagree and I’m disappointed in her. I feel like I lost my vote. Don’t be cheated that men don’t know about their children born out of wedlock. They pretend because they don’t want to take responsibility. I cannot allow my husband to marry a second wife as fights will be inevitable,” she said, adding that Wa Muchomba should advice men on other things.
According to Samuel Mwangi, a university student, “Leaders are busy driving agendas that will not help people in anyway. Where did we go wrong?” he asks.
“How do you encourage us to marry many women when we don’t even have jobs? The rich have invaded our territories, they have taken our girls. No rich man will marry an older woman, they go for the young ones, so let’s focus on things that will generate wealth for us not polygamy. ”
It is not the first time Wa Muchomba touched on the issue of baby-making in her county. During the campaigns, she offered to buy diapers for men in her county if they had more babies.
“We need you to sire more children; don’t fear anything, I will take the responsibility of providing diapers once I become the Woman Rep of this county. Increase the number of children in your homes, I‘m with you till the end”, she had said.
Gathoni wa Muchomba apologises hours after demanding fat salary
Newly elected Kiambu Women Representative Gathoni Wa Muchomba has taken back her words and apologized after publicly rejecting a proposed pay cut for Members of Parliament. Speaking in an interview on Citizen TV on Thursday, August 24, an apologetic Muchomba said she fully supports and welcomes any decision made by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and the Parliamentary Service Commission on MPs pay.
”Probably what I said yesterday was not in line w/ what my people expected. I didn’t intend to go to that direction. I will gladly and humbly accept whatever Sarah Serem delivers to us. I never really looked at the money. I was looking at an opportunity to serve my people more”Muchomba said.
Muchomba’s change of mind comes just hours after she was subjected to a heated online troll with thongs of Kenyans bashing her for her greed. The new MP on Wednesday, August 23, appeared in a TV talk show, where she insisted that SRC should slash salaries ‘well’. ”I want to be paid well. I want to be honored for who I am. ”Muchomba said.
Well, her remarks angered Kenyans,especially Kiambu residents who started signing a petition to stop her from being sworn in. President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday, August 23 slammed MPs for rejecting pay cut as recommended by the SRC. Uhuru said the plan by MPs to reject pay cut is dishonest and vowed not to assent to the bill that the MPs will pass in parliament over the same.