CMETrust’s Kenyan Personnel organize and implement all of CMETrust’s activities in Mathare. Titus and Benedict co-founded the organization with Victoria in 2006, and have been an integral part of the organization ever since. Monica joined the team in 2015 to focus on the alumni and post-secondary aspects of our programs.
All of our Field Representatives receive a fee-for-service in recognition of the many hours they contribute towards ensuring CMETrust’s programs and scholars succeed.
Benedict Kiage
Benedict Kiage is one of the founding leaders of CMETrust. He lives in Mathare Valley with his family and has a good understanding of life in the slum. Benedict is the coordinator of Mathare Community Educational and Development Organization in Mathare, which was formed in 2001 and registered by the government. It runs a community school called MCEDO-Beijing School which caters for the needs of orphans and vulnerable children. The projects undertaken in this organisation include: education, talent promotion i.e. soccer, performing arts, theater, and art galleries, among others.
Benedict is also responsible for managing the School Feeding Program at MCEDO. The School Feeding Program ensures safe and secure storage of dry food stuffs, manages cooks, organizes proper preparation and daily distribution, and keeps accurate books and records. Benedict also works with Lifting The Bar Foundation, a project which works with MCEDO School to help educate girls through football, for development, education and change. Benedict coordinates all of the activities at MCEDO by networking with relevant organizations to secure funds, and mobilize resources for the effective running of the programs.
Titus Kuria
Titus Kuria helps young people from Nairobi’s underserved communities achieve their greatest potential. He was raised in Mathare, the 2nd largest slum in Nairobi, Kenya and he is one of our Co-Founders and currently serving as the inaugural Executive Director.
Fondly known as Tito, he is also the founder and lead facilitator for PaaMoja Initiative; an organisation that equips children and youth in underserved communities in Nairobi with life skills, resources, and most significantly, the opportunity to design and execute programs that transform their lives, families and communities.
His coaching experience has seen him engaged as a facilitator with JUMP! Foundation, an international social enterprise based in East Asia that envisions a world where young people fulfill their true potential as individuals, community leaders and global citizens. Titus is the first African JUMP!er.
He recently graduated at UPEACE Centre for Executive Education with a Diploma in Social Innovation. Before, he attended The Amani Institute and graduated with a Post-Graduate Certificate in Social Innovation Management.
Throughout his life, Titus feels that he has been privileged to have been involved in a myriad of amazing organizations and life-changing experiences including receiving the UNEP-Bayer Young Environmental Envoy award, a focal point at UN ‘Play for Peace, Play for the Planet’ tournament, an alumnus of InWent, a member of Action Beyond Limits Network, a facilitator with Sambaza Peace initiative, a convener with RUKA! Leadership Program, co-founder Viongozi Leadership Summit, convener with Nairobi-Hamburg Social Youth Fora and most recently served as a Judge for the Social Shifters’ Global Innovation Challenge 2022 amongst others.
On his free time, he enjoys playing and watching football, reading and writing self-development articles, swimming, disc jockeying and spending quality time with his family and close friends.
Esther Gathuiya Njenga
Esther Njenga was born and raised in the rural set up of Dagoretti South, Nairobi.
For the last five years she has positively contributed to ensuring changed lives through education in Mathare valley slum; the second largest slum in Kenya.
She is an alumnus of both Zetech University where she attained a Diploma in Social work and Community Development and Moi University where she graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.
Esther worked previously as an intern at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi Women’s Hospital- Gender Violence Recovery Center (GVRC) and Children’s office, Westlands.
She joined Canada-Mathare Education Trust (CMETrust) in 2018 as a Kenya Field Representative where she worked very closely with the post-secondary scholars and CMETrust alumni. Her assignment was to assist and guide them on how to gain access to tertiary education and later transition to the job market.
She executed this assignment successfully leading to her being absorbed into the organization as the inaugural Program Manager where she oversees all the CMETrust Programs including Wezesha Kike!
Wezesha Kike! is a project that empowers girls and young women of Mathare Valley slums through quality education and in the fight against gender inequalities in a bid to eliminate gender imbalance. She is also the CMETrust Child protection contact person dealing with child welfare issues.
Esther considers herself as an education champion and an advocate of High Achieving Low Income scholars. She is passionate in empowering youth especially girls and women as a contribution to an equitable society.
When not in Mathare Valley slums, she enjoys spending quality time with her family, cooking and trying out new recipes, watching documentaries and travelling.
Caroline Muasya grew up in Mathare and carries unique perspectives on what life in the slums is like. She loves empowering those in marginalized communities, more so those who have been made vulnerable by the inequalities that exist in communities like Mathare. Carol is also a strong advocate for children and girl-child rights, having worked with various community organizations that try to alleviate poverty and the myriad of issues that come with income inequalities.
Carol is privileged to have experienced first-hand the value of overcoming the education barriers that face children, and especially girls, who grow up in the slum. She is a graduate of Kenyatta University, where in pursuit of her passion for community development, got a Bachelor’s degree in Community Resource Mobilization. She loves transforming lives and bringing a difference in the world she lives in
In her free time, she enjoys planning, traveling, mentoring, spending time with her family, and researching on social media trends.
Nashon Luvohwa
Nashon was born and raised in an area known as Kosovo in Mathare Slums. He went to Wang’apala High School and later Nairobi Technical Training Institute courtesy of Canada-Mathare Education Trust.
Growing in Mathare enabled Nashon to learn how to cope with many challenges that he faced. These experiences helped him to live harmoniously with other scholars from different communities and social standing at his boarding school based in the up-country parts of Kenya.
After completing his O-level education, Nashon joined a guiding and counseling training with Duara Foundation. He has also participated in leadership training with SEPTA which addressed the issue of drug addiction. Later on, he participated in a social entrepreneurship course organized by Sauder School of Business.
Always keen to learn, he went to NairoBits School of Digital Design where he undertook graphic and web design, and later on to Nairobi Technical Training Institute where he is awaiting to graduate with a Diploma in Electronic and Electrical Engineering power option. He also completed the European Business University in Luxemburg School of Business Online Class Certificate course on Business Management.
Ever since he left high school, Nashon has continuously volunteered both in the CMETrust alumni group as a mentor as well as in helping to run the Mathare office. Nashon serves as CMETrust’s Office Manager.
At his free time, he enjoys watching and playing football.