Sakaja, Babu Owino Clash Over Nairobi’s ‘Dishi na County’ Nutrition Program as Schools Miss Meals
The Governor of Nairobi, Johnson Sakaja, has disregarded what he refers to as propaganda against the recently introduced ‘Dishi na County’ school nutrition program.
As part of a program that Nairobi County and the federal government launched last month, students in public primary schools and Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) institutions pay a daily fee of Ksh. 5 for meals.
On Monday, the governor claimed in a social media post that he did not identify who had been disseminating propaganda to undermine the program.
He wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that some individuals were opposing their feeding program for questionable motives and emphasized that resorting to propaganda and involving children in politics would not be effective.
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He said that while the program is operating smoothly across the county, “opportunistic premature 2027 aspirants” are determined that it shouldn’t work.
In a statement released on Monday, Sakaja explained that the schools fall into various phases.
Sakaja added that the first cohort of schools receiving hot meals did so daily and on time.
Sakaja conveyed that the County had made efforts to establish direct communication channels with the schools through the Ministry of Education’s regional office.
He clarified that the county had informed each headteacher about the specific phase in the ‘Dishi na County’ program to which their school belonged.
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They received encouragement to persist with their existing feeding programs until the county provided them with clear communication concerning the official commencement of the ‘Dishi na County’ initiative in their respective schools.
Sakaja reported that a meeting was taking place at Asmara, where there were discussions about causing harm to children involved in the school feeding program.
He called out individuals, including Babu, Tim, Lydia Kwamboka, Josephine Kithu, and Tom Tinega, urging them to leave the children out of their actions.
The governor cited a video that Embakasi East MP Babu Owino shared in which he claimed that students at Tumaini Primary, one of the schools in Nairobi, had not received their meals despite having paid for the program.
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In response, Sakaja attached a video of a woman he claimed to be the school’s head and apologized for the MP’s sharing of the video.
The School Feeding Scandal by the Corrupt Sakaja has failed https://t.co/R1gvX6s4FR is 3PM and still NO FOOD delivered to kids who did not carry lunch hoping to get food in school. pic.twitter.com/bvPcQbpshL
— Babu Owino (@HEBabuOwino) September 18, 2023
The lady identified as Millicent Kefa clarified that the incident had no connection to the school and was a personal matter.
She expressed regret for it and mentioned that they were eagerly awaiting the rollout of the ‘Dishi na County’ program. She expressed happiness that the governor was planning to provide meals for their children.
“It had nothing to do with the school; it was a private matter, and we apologize.”
In the video, the lady identified as Millicent Kefa clarified that the incident was unrelated to the school and was of a personal nature.
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She expressed regret for the incident and mentioned their anticipation for the rollout of the ‘Dishi na County’ program.
She also expressed their happiness about the governor’s plan to provide meals for their children.
A few people are against our feeding program for nefarious reasons. Resorting to propaganda won’t work. Using children for politics won’t work. The first phase of schools onboarded have been getting their hot meals daily and on time. All head teachers have communication to… pic.twitter.com/lgyiXctYJL
— Sakaja Arthur Johnson (@SakajaJohnson) September 18, 2023
Sakaja and Owino engaged in a war of words and name-calling over Sakaja’s performance in his first year as governor over the weekend.
On Monday, the representative posted on X, among other things, that ‘Dishi na County’ was a dismal failure and Sakaja was corrupt.
Owino had previously expressed optimism regarding his ability to unseat Sakaja in the 2027 General Election. He has stated that Sakaja is only present to preheat his seat.
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According to Babu Owino, Nairobi residents are discerning and won’t let minor issues distract them. He posed two straightforward questions:
- Did the children of Nairobi receive food from the county today? Yes or No.
- Did parents make payments for undelivered food? Yes or No.
He emphasized the simplicity of these questions and asserted their commitment to holding authorities accountable. They vowed to compel them to fulfill their promises, especially to the innocent children, declaring, “We will make you work!”
According to Sakaja, the county has proceeded to register children in the remaining public schools for the subsequent phase.
Parents who had already loaded funds onto the ‘Tap to Eat’ platform would be charged when their children received sustenance, he assured.
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He stated that the second phase will reach more than 190,000 children per day, with the final phase commencing once the objective of 250,000 children is reached.
Sakaja, Babu Owino Clash Over Nairobi’s ‘Dishi na County’ Nutrition Program as Schools Miss Meals
