As you get to Mwea on the Embu-Nairobi highway, the expanses of green swampy land on either side of the road are arresting. The permanently flooded rice fields, extending as far as the eye can see, are a marvel, especially to first-time visitors.
To Charles Njiru and his wife Catherine, the beauty of the landscape where rice comes from misrepresented the problems that troubled the rice growers in this famous part of Kenya.
“In the 2000s, farmers were really poor here in Mwea. They would farm their rice but they didn’t have money,” Joel Kariuki, their son, recalls.
There were a few rice millers with limited capacity, which meant that while students across Kenya knew that Mwea is the home of rice, there was little in the farmers’ pockets to show for the fame.
After trying his hand at many business ventures, Charles settled on setting up a rice mill. His business was milling, but he also offered the traders who brought their rice for milling storage and a space from which they could sell their rice to travelers and fellow traders.
The creation of a structured market was a win-win for Njiru, the farmers, and the travelers, who were happy to buy rice at lower prices than elsewhere in the country.
Over the last 11 years, Nice Rice Millers would become the spark for the growth of Nice Digital City, the thriving shopping center in Mwea that has become a natural stopover for travelers on that busy route.
With time and success, the Njiru family dreamt bigger. Travels across China, Dubai, and Australia offered insight to the Njiru couple on how integrated modern service centers spur development.
“They always came back inspired. They had seen how one multi-service facility could support not just trade but community growth,” Kariuki reflected.
That dream took shape in what is now known as Nice Digital City.
Over the years, the city has grown to host: two award-winning Shell petrol stations (recognized twice as Kenya’s Best Shell Gold Retailers), Nice Rice Millers flagship operation, a supermarket, a DTB Bank branch, two M-PESA outlets that handle high volumes of transactions, rescue services and mechanics for travelers, conference facilities and hotel accommodation, secure parking, a family friendly fun park as well as a swimming pool, gym, salon, and barber shop.
M-PESA has become crucial to businesses at Nice by enabling quick transactions and reducing theft.
“Without services like Lipa na M-PESA, we wouldn’t be here. Long ago, we used to have a lot of theft as people would come here, promise money and not pay. Now, with M-PESA, you are able to track your money,” Kariuki said.
Arguably, the Nice Digital City has become one of Kenya’s most unique business hubs where community, commerce and technology converge to create what the locals now refer to as “a city within a city.”
Looking ahead, the City is now venturing into the maize value chain with plans to launch ‘Nice Extra Premium maize flour’, currently in its final stages of production.
With this addition, the family hopes to address food security while delivering the same quality and trust they’ve built in rice.
What began as a single rice mill is now a model for sustainable growth, rural transformation, visionary thinking and the enduring power of family legacy.
As Kariuki simply puts it, “Nice is not just a name. It is home.”
Watch the video to learn more about Nice Digital City.
