Ndumberi Jitume Hub centre manager Samuel Wainaina
On most mornings, Samuel Wainaina unlocks the doors of Ndumberi Jitume Hub long before the computers flicker to life.
Outside, Ndumberi town is already awake. Inside, a quiet promise hums in the air, that for the young people who will soon fill the room, life does not have to pause after high school.
This place is not just a workplace for Wainaina. It is home. Born and raised in Ndumberi, Kiambu, he grew up a short walk from where the hub now stands.
Wainaina serves as the centre manager of Ndumberi Jitume Hub, a government-backed digital skills facility that has quickly become a lifeline for hundreds of young people across Kiambu.
As a boy, his afternoons were spent on the dusty grounds nearby chasing a basketball, unaware that years later he would return as a custodian of opportunity for a new generation.
His work, quiet, consistent and deeply personal, has earned him recognition as one of the most voted nominees for The Star Person of the Year.
“For many of these youths, this is the bridge between high school and life. Back in my day, we had to do manual jobs while waiting to join college. Now, they can learn skills that help them earn immediately,” Wainaina says.
The centre deep in the heart of Kiambu, a stone’s throw from the dusty basketball court of his childhood, Wainaina is orchestrating a quiet revolution by transforming a simple ICT lab into a vibrant engine of opportunity.
His journey from a local boy navigating limited opportunities to one of the most voted nominees for The Star Person of the Year is a story rooted in service, lived experience and an unwavering belief in the power of skills over circumstance.
The hub, which officially began operations in May, has already trained more than 500 youths from Ndumberi, Ting’ang’a, Riabai wards and Kiambu township.
He points out that serving people he knows has given him that sense of responsibility for his mission.
The hub offers free, high-end digital skills training from graphic design and digital marketing to virtual assistance and data analysis to recent high school graduates and other youth.
With three-month cohorts of about 150-200 students, the centre has already trained hundreds, meticulously linking them to online job platforms.
What sets Wainaina apart is not just the scale of the programme, but also the personal connection he has forged with the community.
Some of his trainees are children of people he grew up with.
“When I look at some of them, I see their parents’ faces,” he says with a smile. “That gives me a deep sense of responsibility.”
That sense of responsibility is deeply personal, as his own academic journey was not smooth.
After a shaky start in high school, he improved his grades and earned a place at university.
He went on to build a diverse career spanning ICT, media and government service — from working at KBC, TV47 and NJata TV, to freelancing for the BBC’s East Africa Bureau, lecturing in ICT and media and heading IT at the constituency office.
“I’m not teaching theory,” he says. “Everything I guide these young people on content creation, freelancing, social media management I have done it myself.”
That credibility has made him approachable. Trainees simply call him “Sam”, knocking on his office door with problems that extend beyond coursework.
Under his leadership, the hub has embraced a holistic model: structured training, mentorship, indoor games, creative collaboration and partnerships with psychologists to support mental health.
“You can’t empower a young person if you ignore what they’re going through at home,” he says. “Some are dealing with family conflict, depression or substance abuse. We have to meet them where they are.”
The impact is already visible. Graduates are earning from online gigs, designing marketing materials for schools, entering data analysis contracts and even launching start-ups from the hub’s “earning” and “startup” corners. Alumni are tracked through WhatsApp groups and databases, and are the first to be recommended when companies approach the centre for talent.
For Wainaina, success will ultimately be measured by transition rates. “My dream is simple,” he says. “If we train 100 students, I want all 100 to get online jobs.”
It is this clarity of purpose, coupled with humility and hands-on leadership, that has propelled him into the national spotlight. His nomination — and strong showing — in the Star Person of the Year vote reflects how deeply his work resonates with those whose lives he has touched.
As Kenya pushes towards a digital future, Wainaina believes hubs like Ndumberi Jitume will define the next chapter of youth empowerment.
“The future is already here,” he says. “Every digital skill is an investment. And if we can give young people world-class tools for free, then there is no excuse for talent to go to waste.”
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