Witty Kenyans do not shy away from making fun of President William Ruto's promises, and with them Comes nicknames. The head of state has been nicknamed Kasongo, Zakayo, Kaongo, Pharaoh, you name them and now El Chapo.
Rutol's Promise to purchase a chapati-making machine to boost Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s Dishi na County school feeding program, has seen the head of state nicknamed El Chapo, with memes dominating Social Media Platforms.
Speaking on Tuesday, March 11 at St. Teresa Girls Secondary School, Mathare, Nairobi, the President directed Governor Sakaja to start looking for where the machine is being sold.
“The governor has asked me that in order to add chapati to Nairobi's dish, I should buy a chapati-making machine. I have agreed to buy the machine for him. Now, Governor, find a place to buy a chapati-making machine that makes one million chapatis,” said President Ruto.
The Head of State gave the promise after Sakaja said the Dishi na County program feeds 300,000 students in Nairobi and he would have to make one million chapatis for them.
"I am feeding 300,000 children in Nairobi, and now I will need to make one million chapatis. I will ask the president to help me with a chapati-making machine,” Sakaja stated.
The Dishi na County school feeding program was launched on June 20, 2023, to enhance student health, improve academic performance, and encourage school attendance by addressing classroom hunger.
The Nairobi County government has constructed centralized kitchens, known as Giga Kitchens, in each of Nairobi's 17 sub-counties.
The Programme However, has also been under Scrutiny recently, after the Auditor-General raised concerns over the handling of funds, pointing to unaccounted-for donations and questionable payments to the implementing partner.
In her 2023-2024 audit report tabled before the Nairobi County Assembly, Gathungu noted that her office could not trace how the county government spent Sh145,725,000 donated by the French Embassy in Kenya to support the programme.
The donation was announced in September 2023 by French Minister of State for Development, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou when she joined Governor Sakaja at Olympic Primary School in Kibra to serve meals to children.
However, the report states that the funds were deposited directly into the Food for Education account, a non-profit organisation that has partnered with the county to run the initiative.
"The audit could not ascertain the accountability for these funds. In addition, there were no established measures by the county executive regarding the management of the donations received, as there were no guidelines in place for handling such donations," the report reads.
The Auditor-General further revealed that there is no formal agreement between the county and Food for Education.
"The audit could not establish how the company was engaged to provide the services," the report states.
The county contracted the organisation to provide meals at Sh25 per plate, but despite contributions from parents, the county still paid the full amount instead of Sh20, raising concerns about the contract terms.
"The county paid an amount of Sh25 for each plate served, resulting in the implementor earning an amount of Sh30 per plate instead of the contracted amount of Sh25," the report says.
Meanwhile, Kenyans have taken the opportunity to deconstruct the head of state, insisting El Chapo is making unrealistic Promises, despite not fulfilling his pre-election Manifesto.
While his supporters argue he meant well by pledging support for the initiative, others opine the head of state should prioritize construction of classroom and supply of other educational essentials.
