James Community Based Organization (JBCO) located within Gitaru in the suburb of Kikuyu town has unleashed an elaborate and wide spectrum program with an aim of transforming the lives of residents within Gitaru and Shauriyako slums.

J-CBO is a community based organization registered by the Government of Kenya. The organization was founded by James Ngugi, locally known as Ngei who was born and brought up right from the heart of Shauri Yako slum to which he is now giving back in a bid to improve the living standards of the community targeting the most vulnerable families through sustainable social and economic interventions.

James is currently a citizen of the United States of America but has always had the plight his people back in the slums at heart. Having been born, raised and educated by the local community, the founder of the organization always feels the burden to give back to this community.

During his 12 days visit at home in Kenya between 25th of October 2023 and 7th of October 2023 he was alive to the organization’s five strategic areas, namely health; food; education; economic empowerment and community projects.

Through the CBO James pulled up a major multi-million water project that impressed and elated both the residents and local leaders. Water is the foundation for all aspects of life for human beings hence the saying, Water is life.

With funding from his friends in the United States, Ngugi sunk a water bore hole that is able to supply water to a population of over 29,000 residents of Shauri Yako (Kanjeru) and larger Gitaru ward in the slum area.

The water project is now done and ready only awaiting piping across the entire slum area. Piping is another project that will require a substantial financial support from friends and well-wishers.

For over sixty years since Kenya’s independence, the residents of Shauri Yako slum have lived without reliable source of clean water for domestic purposes. They have only known a small stream that is adjacent to the slum, which has since dried up due to human activities.

In a bid to provide shelter to the homeless the philanthropist also put up a two-room semi-permanent house to a single Mother who had nowhere to lay her head. Veronica, mother of three, shed tears of joy as she recounted the many times she had spent in the cold with her precious children for lack of shelter.

“May God Bless James and his friends who took part in putting up this decent house for me and my children.” Veronica said and appealed for more support towards help of many other families who lack shelter.

In a bid to address the challenges facing the youth in the current society, JCBO in conjunction with the Youth Forum Foundation-YFF (USA) hosted hundreds of the youths from across Gitaru and Shauri Yako (Kanjeru) slums in which experts tackled a wide range of issues including Alcohol, Drugs and Corruption and their affects to the young generation.

Through the support of friends and well-wishers, JCBO has been able to achieve several milestones, including:

• Providing educational scholarships to extremely needy students from the slum.
• Providing uniforms, shoes, textbooks, stationery and lunch fees to needy students.
• Organizing regular free medical clinics targeting poor families.
• Providing subsidized maize flour processed at its maize mill, distributed through the food pantry at the centre.
• Providing free monthly luncheon to poor families.
• Providing business mentorship, start-up capital, and equipment to young entrepreneurs.