Honourable Jude Njomo is the incumbent Member of Parliament for Kiambu Central Constituency, Kiambu County. He is a member of the ruling Jubilee Party and is serving his second term in parliament.
Njomo has been active on the development end, initiating various projects in his constituency, including schools and the most recent, the Ksh60 million NG-CDF tower that will house the CDF offices along with bringing several other services closer to the people.
The lawmaker boasts an illustrious career both in public service and in the private sector. Here is his story as narrated by WoK.
Background & Education
The lawmaker joined Riara Primary School in 1971 and sat for the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) examinations in 1977. He then proceeded to Kanunga High School in 1978 and sat for his Kenya Certificate of Education (KCE) exams in 1981.
Njomo attended Kanunga High School between 1982 and 1983 and sat for the Kenya Advanced Certificate of Education (KACE). He later proceeded to the Kenya Power Training School for an apprenticeship in 1985. He then joined the Kenya Polytechnic in 1986 and graduated with a Diploma in Electrical Engineering in 1989.
Career
After leaving Kenya Polytechnic (now Technical University of Kenya), Njomo was employed by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC). He was in charge of KPLC’s Commercial Department in Limuru and Thika between 1989 and 1997.
Njomo later branched out into the private sector offering electrical engineering services between 1997 and 2012.
Politics
He was first elected member of parliament for Kiambu Central Constituency in 2013 on a TNA ticket. Between that year and 2017, he was a member of the Departmental Committee on Environment & Natural Resources and the Public Accounts Committee.
Njomo was re-elected to the National Assembly on a Jubilee Party ticket in 2017. He is a member of the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Committee and the Budget Appropriation Committee.
Family
The lawmaker is happily married and is a father of four.
During a previous interview with the Standard, the Kiambu Central revealed that he met his wife Jackie Njomo while acting as an assistant DJ at a friend’s bridal negotiation ceremony. Jackie was present at the ceremony. They both were friends of the marrying couple and so they continued to meet during ceremonies and eventually became friends. At the time, she was only 18.
They began dating on the basis of a good friendship.
“When we started dating I was still in college and a hustler, so going on a real date was a challenge. Our first date was somewhere in Pangani and it was basically just going out for drinks after classes,” Njomo recounted.
The MP recalled that at the time, mobile phones were not available and therefore communication was their main challenge. Sometimes they went for a long time without talking, especially when he was in Nakuru.
“I remember at that time she was living in Thika and her line was 4Y4 Ol-donyo Sabuk. To call that line you needed to call the operator first. Those 4Y4 lines were party lines, so you could not say anything sensitive because I was warned the whole village would be listening,” he recalled.
Njomo was also an actor at the time and he featured in a number of plays. Jackie would go watch him, and if he was not featuring in one, they would watch the plays together. During their courtship days, Jackie describes one particular moment that made her realise that he was the one.
“I’ve never even told him this, but once I was in a bus and I saw him walking through town. I saw him crossing the road but he did not see me and I could not call him out, but in that moment, it struck me that this guy was really not bad!” She told The Standard.
The got married on October 6, 1990.
Philanthropy
During their courtship days, Njomo and Jackie told themselves that they would bear two children of their own and adopt one. They later decided to also start a children’s home and formed a committee involving their friends and began researching on what it would take to start one.
However, the regulations at the time were two stringent and made it difficult for them to start a children’s home. Njomo recalls a time when they visited the Thika children’s office but the attendant was rude to them.
“She told us that being qualified meant having money and said that if Njenga Karume, who was the Kiambu MP had walked in instead of them, she would have registered him because they had the money,” he recalled.
Despite the hurdles, Njomo and Jackie managed to open a children’s home and have since adopted over 10 children.
NG-CDF Building
In January, Njomo opened the new five-storey Ksh60 million new National Government Constituency Development Fund offices. This was part of a move to bring services close to his constituents.
The building hosts area chiefs and assistant chiefs offices, CDF offices, a conference hall and rents out the other units. Speaking during the opening ceremony, Njomo stated that the building would generate an additional Ksh8 million in rent per year which would go to the bursary kitty.
The MP noted that the constituency has a high population and revenue would be of much help when it comes to awarding bursaries to his people.
