Crime doesn’t pay, so goes the saying.
Njenga Karume, the man who boasted in his book, ‘From Charcoal To Gold’, on how he rose from grass to grace might be the living embodiment of that above saying.
Of course Njenga Karume didn’t suffer anger, depression and lack in his life. Died a rich man. A quintessential rich Kikuyu man who like many others are fond of not writing a will on how their estates should be shared.
His actions has put a couple of Kenyans who depend on his hotel for employment on the jaws of poverty.
Many have gone for more than 3 months without pay.
In July 2019, it was reported that the hotel was set for auction over failure to pay a bank loan of Ksh257.6 million.
The money is owed to owed to Guaranty Trust Bank.
Regent Auctioneers had notified the management of Jacaranda Hotel, located in the affluent Westlands suburb, of the impending auction.
“We have been advised by our client, Guaranty Trust Bank Ltd, that you are still in arrears amounting to Sh257,645,708.53 as at 5th July 2019. We have set the auction date as 21st July 2019 at our auction mart new Kireita building, Kirinyaga Road, at 11.00 am.
Njenga and many of his ilk, the likes of Chris Kirubi, Jimnah Mbaru and some other unknown Kikuyu billionaires lie to Kenyan youths about rising from grass to grace, becoming wealthy by hard work but that is not the cases.
Most of these so-called Kikuyu businessmen made their money by short-changing the state.
Imagine getting a huge loan from a bank managed by the Kenyan government, then defaulting on that loan and no one puts you on CRB or eve ask you to pay.
Youths must wake up.
The impending unemployment of staff at Jacaranda is as a result of a sick system waiting for the like of Miguna Miguna, uncompromising revolutionary to at least sway the hammer of defiance and justice and change will flow like a milk form Holstein Friesian cow.
The same culture of primitive accumulation and laziness has its tentacles spread all over with dire consequences. In September, 2019, Njenga Karume’s grand-daughter died in the United States (US) after lacking funds for treatment. She had unsuccessfully begged for funds to cater for her medical bills.
For now, going 3 months without pay while living in Nairobi is not a joke.
Poleni sana.
