Animosity is brewing in the utmost centre of Christian faith, a citadel of purity—Kijabe Mission Town—between the management and Kiambu County Government.
Kijabe is the only town in Kenya where you cannot purchase cigarettes or take alcohol. With a population of approximately 5,000, the missionary town has no bars or entertainment joints, and nobody is allowed to smoke within its barriers.
Located 65 kilometers Northwest of NairobiCity, Kijabe Mission Town has been holding several critical mission facilities that have impacted Kenyans lives in different ways for decades.
According to Kijabe Management Team, the town is self reliant, almost autonomous. The town has been free from interference either from the Kiambu County Government or the National Government due to the sensitivity of the facilities it holds.
However, the calm witnessed for decades, the management says, is under ‘threat’. Recently, the management alleges they have encountered frustrations, owing to what they term as ‘chaos and destruction of properties’ by the Kiambu County Government Reinforcement Officers.
County officials, led by Lari Sub-County Municipal Manager Godfrey Muya, say the status of the town has since outgrown the missionary status, and will not be treated the same way as before.
According to Muya, the bigger Kijabe Town has now been ‘invaded’ by cartels who are developing with immunity of the town’s history without seeking approvals from the government of the day.
