Joyce Wanjiku Ngugi was nominated as Kiambu County deputy governor by Governor James Nyoro, launching her name in a political field she long wished to join.
Ngugi was nominated on Wednesday, February 19, following in the footsteps of her late husband, Gatundu South MP, Joseph Ngugi.
Upon the death of Joseph, she sought to replace him in the National Assembly but claimed to have been rigged out during The National Alliance (TNA) Party primaries in favour of current MP Moses Kuria.
With the meteoric rise, many expect Ngugi to continue counselling youth struggling with various addictions, a task she has undertaken for many years through her rehabilitation centre.
Bridge Recovery Centre in Garden Estate, Nairobi, is Ngugi's brainchild. It unites recovering addicts with their family members as it emphasises on changing lives.
"The principals of Bridge Centre's dedicated years and reviewed the philosophies and treatment services of over many drug rehabs throughout the country and came to the following conclusion; that the most effective form of addiction treatment was found to be a multi-disciplinary approach. We believe that the 'whole person' needs to be treated and not just presenting symptoms.
"Furthermore, we understood that through the continual abuse of alcohol and drugs, the addict's or alcoholic's brain chemistry is greatly affected," the rehab's website reads.
Joyce holds a masters degree in education from Kenyatta University in addition to a bachelors degree in the same discipline from Egerton University.
She also holds a diploma in drug addiction counselling from the Support for Addictions Prevention and Treatment in Africa (SAPTA) Center.
Kaa Sober, was one of the projects that put former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu on crossroads with several politicians who blasted him for offering cash to addicts rather helping them abstain from drug abuse.
In December 2018, Kiambu Woman Representative Gathoni wa Muchomba criticised Waititu for paying addicts Ksh 400 per day in a bid to keep them away from the vice.
In May 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta also appointed her as the chairperson of the National Council for Children Services.
If her nomination as deputy governor will be approved by Kiambu MCAs after a vetting process, Ngugi will step down from NCCS, a state office, to aid Nyoro in running affairs in President Uhuru Kenyatta's backyard.
