A woman in Mombasa tore into Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho over his food donations as Muslims worldwide commenced celebrating the Ramadhan festival on Thursday, April 23.
In a video shared widely on social media, the woman's voice is heard in the background, asking Joho if the food donation appropriate or the festival.
The donations delivered to her house included rice, maize floor and cooking oil from the Joho Foundation in conjunction with the Suleiman Foundation.
"Alhamdulillah, hiki ni chakula cha kuliwa Ramadhani? Nani hata wewe kuliko ulikozaliwa Gavana mpaka saizi ulikula chakula hicho Ramadhani. Kabla ukue Gavana mpaka hivi leo ulikula chakula hiki Ramadhani. (Praise be to Allah. Is this food meant for Ramadhan. Joho, since you were born and since you became governor, have you ever eaten such food on Ramadhan?)
"Unga wa sima na pojo watu hula Ramadhani? Mbona unataka kututia pressure, tuna masukari na utuongezee na pressure. Twagongewa mlango adisia kuletewa unga wa sima na pojo. Hakuna sukari wala unga wa ngano. (On Ramadhan, do we eat Ugali and Rice? Why do you want to heap more pressure on us? Your people knock our doors at night to deliver maize floor and rice? There is neither sugar nor wheat flour in your deliveries," the woman complained.
However, directors at the Hassan Joho Foundation stated that the food distribution was well coordinated and that Mombasa residents were welcoming and appreciative.
"The government accorded us security to aid us to deliver food. Everyone has been grateful and the food distribution is going on well. There has to be one or two differences as expected but one ungrateful person cannot stop the others from benefitting from these donations.
"The food supply is well packed, with free towels, sanitizers and enough food stock for three weeks. We shall continue delivering to the people of Mombasa as we give our gratitude to the donors," Mudathir Ahmed, an administrator at Hassan Joho Foundation informed Kenyans.co.ke.
A number of Kenyans have condemned the woman, asking her to be appreciative of the relief food and be gracious to have received a donation as many families faced hard times amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
"We should give gratitude to God and be grateful for whatever we have received. This is an unprecedented time. The food has been donated to every resident despite our religious afflictions. If you don't want it, reject it politely and it will be given to someone else in need," another Coastal woman urged via social media.
Joho and Mombasa tycoon Suleiman Shahbal teamed up on Saturday, April 4, and launched a drive to feed needy Mombasa County residents.
"What the county government is proposing is fantastic. It is a noble initiative that will cushion the most vulnerable members of society who have to work on a daily basis during the curfew and in the event of a lockdown," Shahbal had earlier on stated before the launch.
Joho further announced that his government planned to set aside Ksh250 million to buy food for 227,404 vulnerable households.
Items being distributed to each family consists of 10kg of maize and wheat flour, 7kg of green grams, 6kg of rice, 2kg of sugar, 1kg of salt, 2 litres of cooking oil, sanitary pads, paracetamol tablets and a bar of soap.
On Thursday, April 16, Joho also launched an online donation platform dubbed Mombasa food relief where people from around the globe could make their donations.
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