My Application

I was born on 24th January  1978 into a political family one year before my father David Waweru successfully contested and won the Kandara parliamentary seat. I went to Kileleshwa Primary School where I sat my KCPE in 1991 and passed as the best performing boy in the school and later on to Dagoretti High school where I sat for my KCSE exams in 1995.

I graduated with honours from Kenyatta University with a Bachelor of Education degree in 2001.

I witnessed first-hand the agitation and the clamour for multi-party democracy with my father being an avid agitator and crusader for the repeal of section 2A of the constitution in the early 1990’s.  I understood early enough the cause that was being championed by the sung and unsung heroes of the second liberation of this country.  I was forced to understand the sacrifices and the risks that came with crusade.

With this understanding, I found it prudent that I should sensitize my peers by sharing what I knew and had experienced using my talents.  In 1995, while still in High School, I started scripting and writing what has become the longest running youth newspaper column in Kenya.  Using my God-given talents in Art and humour, I have scripted and drawn a most incisive youth social and political features commentary in the Sunday Nation for the last 12 years.  The column goes by the name of “Head On Corrishon – with the youth” currently in the Buzz magazine inside the Sunday Nation.

It was while in Kenyatta University in 1998, that I founded a bold, novel and prolific group of three performers that literally redefined theatrical performances in the country.  The group is known as “Redykyulass”.  At the height of the Moi regime, when the president’s name could only be mentioned in hushed tones, Tony Njuguna, Walter Mong’are and I boldly decided to take the ruling elite head-on using the most unlikely of weapons.  Humour.

Redykyulass was a public mirror, reflecting back to Kenyans some aspects of their lives that they were either too busy to notice or were too afraid to point out under the circumstances.  With the God-given talents of humour, and with the ever present reality that either our education or our lives or both were at risk, we pointed out in a satirical way the ills in our society and more-so in the top leadership of this country.

A year and many risky shows later, the “Redykyulass” show premiered on national TV and quickly went on to be the highest watched show on TV.  The show was on air on and off for 8 years.

We were to quickly learn that in the current political setting it is really hard for honest Kenyans to earn an honest living.  Very soon, very highly connected unscrupulous dealers were earning shamefully from our sweat.  Piracy, we were soon to learn, is a well organized crime conducted by well networked cartels similar to and working very closely with drugs and small arms cartels in this country.

We have since been involved in activism and lobbying for crucial policy reforms to allow for intellectual property protection in this critical multi-bilion Kshs industry of entertainment.  An emerging industry with the ability to absorb a considerable chunk of unemployed young Kenyans.

As a youth icon and leader, I have for a long time had a serious concern about the Kenyan youths’ participation in the electioneering process.  The young people have consistently become extremely apathetic about the whole process of electing their leaders.  When they get to participate, their role in the process is seen as that of heckling, causing violence and mobilizing for the “Big boys”.

The young people of this country have been made to believe that they can never be the leaders of today.  That politics is a dirty game that should be left to the dirty, corrupt and immoral old men.

I am a founding partner of a youth movement called “Vijana Tugutuke”. A movement that set out to get young Kenyans to take their rightful position in the decision making processes in this country.  The campaign was targeted to the large youth demographic that had opted not to be involved in the electioneering process.

We set out on an enormous task of registering our peers as voters around the country using a mechanic that worked wonders.  The registration figures speak for themselves.

In the last 2 years, not only have we been able to directly interact with millions of youth in every corner of this country, but we have also been able to create a national buzz that has excited young people to be involved!

The “Vijana Tugutuke” campaign has taken civic education to young Kenyans in a language that they understand, and has aided millions of them to register as voters.

It has been the single-most important, single-most strategic and single-most effective voter civic education campaign modeled by the Kenyan youth targeted at the Kenyan youth.  The numbers speak for themselves!

As it is now, the 2007 election, will be called by the youth vote.

In a country that has 75% percent of it’s population under the age of 45, and one that has a life expectancy of 45 years and declining, the young people of this country do feel critically unrepresented in all organs of decision making in this country.

Who is making decisions for the young people?  Who is deciding our future for us?

I stand as one of the few young Kenyans who are bold enough to say that I will be the voice of a generation.

I offer myself, understanding the sacrifices I have to make, and the risks I have to take, to be elected as the MP for Dagoretti Constituency.