The plight of Peninah Bahati Kitsao, a widow from Kisauni Constituency in Mombasa County who boiled stones for her children for lacking food touched Kenyans who raised funds to help her.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Kitsao claimed on Friday, October 2, that she was yet to receive money from a committee formed to collect money from well-wishers.
"Nasikia watu walichangisha Ksh1 Million lakini sijapata hizo pesa (I hear the committee raised Ksh1 Million, but I am yet to receive that money)
"Nashangaa mbona mbona inachukua muda mrefu, kwa sababu waliniambia eti ploti yangu ni ndogo kwa hivyo itabidi wanijengee pengine (I am wondering why it is taking longer because they told me to look for another)" she stated.
Nailah Abdallah, the director of Mombasa-based rights group, "Sisters for Justice" called for accountability in the funds.
"After well-wishers donated enough money to build her house and change her life status but all this has remained to be a dream for her. We are shocked, disturbed and left with a lot of questions that till today nothing has been done.
"We need transparency and accountability for her funds. Any delays further is a denial of a vulnerable woman's right. In line with our duties as Sisters for Justice we will hold accountable and follow up with this case untill she gets justice," she stated.
Kitsao added that she was hoping to get the issue of the funds resolved so that she could sustain herself and her children.
"I want to set up a business so that I can fend for my children," she explained.
Kitsao's plight was covered by the media in April 2020 after she was forced to boil stones to trick her children into thinking she was cooking dinner.
Kitsao opened up on how she ended up 'cooking' stones, "I did that for my two-year-old son, to trick him to sleep, he kept on asking for food because he was hungry. I kept on reassuring him to wait as food was 'cooking'.
Kenyans came to her rescue overwhelmingly donating foodstuffs and other household products.
The 45-year-old, whose husband died in 2019, has now been left with seven children.
However, a month later, tragedy struck when her youngest daughter died.
