Johnson Sakaja Reacts To Lady's Claims He Lied Over Feeding Kids For Free: "Who Told You?"

• In June, Governor Johnson Sakaja's administration launched the Nairobi County School Feeding programme dubbed 'Dishi na County'
• Sakaja said the programme is meant to give dignity to the school-going children who have been going without food
• President William Ruto was in attendance during the launch of the programme, which targets to feed about 250,000 children
• Parents of children in public primary schools and Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDs) are required to pay KSh 5 for meals

Nairobi - Governor Johnson Sakaja has found himself at the centre of a social media storm following claims made by a lady regarding his feeding programme for children.

Dishi na County programme

Sakaja took to Twitter to address the allegations, vehemently denying any falsehood in his initiative.

According to the lady's Twitter post, Sakaja's programme is not as benevolent as it seems, as parents must pay KSh 5 per day for their children's meals.

She noted that this amounts to KSh 100 per week for a parent with four kids, summing up to KSh 400 per month.

The woman further questioned whether this could be perceived as an indirect tax rather than a genuinely free service.

@NjeriBt wrote:

"Yaani, the way you shed tears, you still left a barrier to education for some? KSh 5 for 5 kids is 500 bob a month. Some might not afford it. I thought your tears were genuine."

In response, Senator Sakaja defended his program.

Who told you it's free?" he questioned the woman.

See Tweet below:

Netizens reacted to the post, and below are some of their comments:

@254Chrissy wrote:

"So if we are paying, why implement it? Is there money put aside for this? Where is it going?"

@GideonKimaiyo_ wrote:

"How much does is cost for a parent to provide food for their children on a normal day. Definitely not 5 shillings."

@HerbertNgare wrote:

"I think it's better than what I pay currently. At Westlands School, we pay Ksh 110 per kid for lunch ONLY. I've two kids, that's Ksh 220 per day."

School feeding programme must work

On Tuesday, June 20, TUKO.co.ke reported that Sakaja's administration launched the feeding programme, which President William Ruto attended.

“Nutritious meals will be cooked in these central kitchens and the meals transported in special sealed containers and special vehicles to keep the meals safe from contamination, and keep them warm, to surrounding schools,” Sakaja said in his address.

He noted that kitchens built are expected to produce about 10,000 nutritional meals daily for the learners.