Second Lady Dorcas Rigathi on Thursday, March 28, revealed that it costs an arm and a leg to fund her boychild empowerment initiative that seeks to rehabilitate young men struggling with alcohol and drug addiction.
Speaking to the media, Dorcas explained that it costs an average of Ksh80,000 monthly to rehabilitate one person. She stated that the person can graduate from her rehabilitation centres after two years.
According to the Second Lady, her foundation is in the process of registering over 3,000 youth across the country who have fallen into addiction.
"For now, we have wellwishers who are willing to fund these projects. Some offer funds, others material goods. A person in rehab can use about Ksh40,000 to Ksh80,000 monthly, it is quite expensive and some spend almost 2 years in the institution," she told Citizen TV's Rashid Abdalla.
Taking into account, Ksh80,000 monthly funds for one person and undergoes the rehabilitation program for two years, the amount totals Ksh1.9 million. If we multiply with an average of 3,000 youths engaging in the program, the amount adds up to over Ksh5.7 billion.
Dorcas clarified that the Boychild initiative is not funded by taxpayers' money, contrary to popular belief.
She highlighted that the project is funded by partnerships from well-wishers and donors.
"There are no funds set aside by the government. We don't have a budget that will contribute to the rehab development because this job has not been done before by past administrations," she explained.
"Now after we took office, it's something that has since been highlighted and we've seen the extent of the damage that it had caused in society."
While addressing Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's fight against illicit brew in the Mount Kenya region, the Second Lady praised her spouse for taking up the lead role in the fight against a vice destroying young men in society.
"He doesn't sleep, he wakes up early to rehabilitate the boychild and that is his role as a father and leader. The role of a leader is to serve the people," she revealed.
The Second Lady expressed her commitment to seeing through her fight against drugs no matter the cost, even if it leads to the closure of businesses participating in the trade.
"Justice that must be done. I am not afraid and I will speak until I see the boychild is out of bondage. They've even brought other substances that make them become zombies, it is so frustrating," she remarked.
