Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja has adopted a Form 2 Girl and promised to settle her entire school fees until the completion of her High School education.
The Nairobi gubernatorial aspirant made the decision after an encounter with a student named Lyons Wanjiru during the Kenya Kwanza campaign trail on Tuesday, March 22.
In a clip shared by the Senator, who was directly addressing Deputy President William Ruto, noted that the student approached him asking for his assistance.
"Lyons Wanjiru a brilliant young student from Githurai approached me during a campaign rally and requested assistance in paying her school fees.
"I have adopted her as my daughter, paid her school fees, and will support her education," stated the gubernatorial aspirant.
During the Githurai rally, Sakaja also heaped praises at the girl noting that she was smart and articulated herself well, which, probably, caught his attention.
"Your Excellency, I would like you to take a look at this young girl. She is a very smart girl and has talked to me very well saying she has had a fees problem.
"She is in Form 2. Because of the poor economy, I have decided to adopt her. She is called Lyons Wanjiru and I will pay her school fees until she completes form 4," he added.
According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), over 1.13 million children of primary school age (6 to 13 years old) are out of school in Kenya as of 2020.
The affected counties are Baringo, Bungoma, Garissa, Isiolo, Kajiado, Kilifi, Kwale, Mandera, Marsabit, Narok, Samburu, Tana River, Turkana, Wajir and West Pokot, as well as Nairobi informal settlements.
A study dubbed Out-of-School Children Initiative also listed pregnancy, child marriage, and child labour as the primary reasons why children leave school.
UNICEF launched a drive to have over 250,000 children rehabilitated to schools by 2023.
Below is the video:
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