President Ruto’s daughter, Charlene, has found herself in the midst of a political fracas with Members of Parliament in Kitui County after her recent two-day sojourn to the region.
The controversy ignited when two MPs affiliated with the ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance, Rachael Nyamai of Kitui South and Nimrod Mbai of Kitui East, openly criticized Charlene for her charitable endeavors.
Charlene’s visit to Kitui South Constituency, where she distributed over 1,000 pairs of shoes to various primary schools, became the epicenter of contention.
The event, hosted by East Africa Community Cabinet Secretary Peninah Malonza and graced by Zero Bare Foot Campaign CEO Victor Kiprono, attracted attention for all the wrong reasons.
At Itumba Primary School in Mutha Ward, Nyamai vented her frustration, hinting at deliberate exclusion from the affair.
She queried the motivations behind the organizers’ actions, prompting CS Malonza to clarify that invitations had been extended to all elected officials, including county assembly members.
Nyamai further raised eyebrows over the funding source for the shoes, citing a lack of involvement from her constituency office.
“It’s baffling that I wasn’t notified of this event, given my position as an elected representative in this constituency,” Nyamai lamented, expressing her discontent.
Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai echoed Nyamai’s sentiments, lambasting the distributed shoes as oversized and substandard.
He rebuked President Ruto’s administration, alleging neglect of Kitui residents and decrying the shoe distribution as frivolous.
“For the two years of President Ruto’s administration, the people of Kitui haven’t benefited from his government,” Mbai asserted.
Adding that; “We now hear that they have come up with a funny programme of distributing oversized plastic shoes in our primary schools. Those shoes are of poor quality and they had to go return with them to Nairobi because none could fit the children.”
In response to these accusations, Charlene convened a press conference at Kyoani Primary School in Ikutha to address the allegations.
Expressing her dismay, she emphasized the importance of providing footwear to underprivileged children and defended her involvement with the Zero Bare Foot Campaign.
“What I want to tell Kenyans is that a pair of shoes can be donated by anyone. You don’t have to wait for somebody else to do it, so let us take this upon ourselves because the children walking barefoot to schools are our young brothers and sisters, and some of their parents are even struggling to pay their school fees,” Charlene passionately stated.
Victor Kiprono corroborated Charlene statements, affirming that the shoes distributed were comfortable and made of leather, contrary to claims made by Kitui East MP.
Meanwhile, CS Malonza dismissed Kitui South MP’s complaints as trivial, emphasizing the broader significance of the initiative.
Related: Sifichi Hii Kisogo! Charlene Ruto Asks Critics To Deal With Her Big Forehead