Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has come under sharp criticism from a section of Kenyans over his empowerment programmes after reports emerged showing students learning in deplorable conditions.
The Motorists Association of Kenya on Tuesday morning slammed Kindiki, accusing him of abandoning his backyard despite leading multi-million empowerment programmes across the country.
This is after the video clips shared by Citizen TV went viral on social media platforms, showing students in Tharaka Nithi County learning in roofless and muddy ramshackles disguised as classrooms.
In the footage shared during yesterday's prime-time news bulletin, students could be seen seated inside a dusty, mud structure with crumbling walls that are full of holes.
In their statement, the motorists questioned how the second in command traversed the country in helicopters, each costing up to Ksh300 million to purchase or Ksh200,000 per hour to hire, despite the appalling condition in the county he once served as a senator.
"In Tharaka Nithi, the Deputy President’s backyard, pupils are learning in appalling, almost inhuman conditions: roofless shells with muddy, crumbling walls full of holes. This is a national disgrace," the Association commented.
"Yet, while children sit on stones in the dust, politicians are busy showing off with convoys of helicopters, each costing up to Ksh300 million to purchase or Ksh200,000 per hour to hire," the motorists added.
According to the motorists, the extravagant airborne tours dressed up as 'empowerment' events were nothing but flashy spectacles of arrogance and misplaced priorities.
While calling for accountability from the government, the motorists proposed that part of the funds allocated to the empowerment drive be used in the reconstruction of the classrooms in the said county.
"How long will we keep letting our children rot in mud and shame while leaders fly overhead, showering the poor with crumbs and calling it generosity? This is not leadership; it's bad governance," the motorists lamented.
Meanwhile, Citizen TV, in its exposé, revealed that the lack of amenities affected about six schools within the county, placing students at the risk of external harm, including snake bites.
Further, the reports also showed students in boarding schools travelling for several kilometres to fetch water from unsafe rivers, with some forced to share drinking water with livestock.
