Pain of pending bills: Nyandarua woman who chained herself outside county offices demanding KSh70m payment dies

A Nyandarua woman who in August 2021 chained herself on the gates of Nyandarua County headquarters demanding payment of KSh70 million for services rendered has died.

Hannah Nyambura Ndugire, popularly known as ‘Cucu’ had been contracted by the Nyandarua County Government to carry out cabro-paving works in Ol Kalou town.

It was part of a beautification project by the county government and the World Bank.

But upon completion of the job, whose implementation she had funded using loans, the County government failed to pay her.

“Her health condition started deteriorating during the time she was fighting for the payments leading to several protests from the residents,” her son Raphael Ndugire is quoted as saying.

 “She was heavily indebted, she had taken loans to do the jobs. The situation worsened when auctioneers came after her property, she had to sell almost every family asset, she was depressed yet she had successfully implemented the project. She died with many debts including salaries of her employees most of them mothers and youths from Huruma slums in Ol Kalou town.”

‘Cucu’ became the posterchild for the frustrations over County pending bills. Auctioneers descended on her property and she had to borrow from friends and relatives at least to save her home from being sold off.

"All these left my mother a very depressed woman, she was since in and out of the hospital but without proper medical care for lack of money,” the son added.

Nyandarua Governor Kiarie Badilisha says she had met Cucu in the last few weeks and “discussed ways of resolving her dispute with the County Government that arose during the past regime.”

He adds: “Regrettably, she did not live to see the successful resolution of this issue which we had reached a mutual understanding on the way forward.”

Governor Badilisha described the late businesswoman as “an industrious lady who successfully operated in a sector heavily dominated by men…and who broke the gender ceiling and demonstrated the place of women in our society whenever given a chance.”

He said the resolution arrived at between the late Hannah and the county government “will be honored upon fulfillment of the agreed process.”