Johnson Sakaja Pays Fare For Students Stranded In Nairobi After School Reopening Was Postponed

• In a video circulating online, Governor Johnson Sakaja is seen paying fare for students stranded in Nairobi after the government postponed the reporting date
• Sakaja urged Kenyans not to bash Education CS Ezekiel Machogu for the late announcement that has inconvenienced most learners and parents
• Machogu issued a statement announcing the change of school opening date due to the ongoing floods in the country

Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja promised to provide bus fare for students stranded in the city following the government's last-minute move to change school opening dates.

Speaking to Radio Citizen on Monday, April 29, Sakaja said that all students stranded will benefit regardless of the counties they came from.

"There are those parents who have sent their children to school with only fare to go and no other cash. So we must help them," Sakaja said.

He supported the government's decision to issue the late directive, noting that Education CS Ezekiel Machogu could have equally received the instructions to make the communication at an unusual time.

After his interview, Sakaja went to the Nairobi central business district (CBD), where he paid the fare for stranded students.

In a video making rounds on social media, Sakaja was seen talking to matatu touts and making arrangements to have stranded students taken back home.

In another video, he was seen asking students how much they needed for their bus fare.

Govt announces new school re-opening dates

As earlier reported, the government pushed the opening date for schools by one week following ongoing rains and floods that have claimed over 70 lives and destroyed property worth millions.

In a statement issued Sunday night, April 28, Machogu announced that the decision was made following reports from field officers indicating significant flood-related impacts on numerous schools.

Machogu emphasised that the schools affected could endanger the lives of students, and underscored the government's unwillingness to assume such risks.

Learning is therefore expected to resume on Monday, May 6.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke