President Kenyatta has withdrawn a gift house he promised a poor lady in Bahati Constituency after she started complaining about the quality of the build.
Ms Damaris Wambui Kamau, mother of Dennis Ngaruiya, who cracked President Uhuru Kenyatta’s ribs with a thrilling poem four years ago, was to take the house at Murunyu.
She rejected it yet it had reportedly been built for her on the President’s orders, saying it was in a poor state yet a State House official had been ordered to ensure she had a decent home.
After she complained, State House Spokesperson and Head of the Presidential Strategic Communication Unit (PSCU), Kanze Dena, insisted it was well-furnished.
And now, Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Chimwaga Mongo says the President only promised Ms Kamau the payment of her son’s school fees, not a house.
Mr Mongo claimed on Sunday that unknown people “sat down and decided” to come up with the idea of a plot as an extension of Mr Kenyatta’s goodwill.
He explained that when Ms Kamau went to State House, there was no promise to buy a plot and build her a house.
Handed to a more deserving person
“The only promise President Kenyatta made was for the full payment of Dennis’ school fees. There was no promise to build a house or anything else,” he said.
“The promise of paying school fees is intact… nobody has interfered with it.”
To end the stalemate, Mr Mongo said, the house was handed to a “deserving” person at a ceremony on Sunday.
The commissioner handed over the house to one Mr Macharia Gachie, 58, after Ms Kamau rejected it saying it was substandard.
“We tried in vain to convince Ms Kamau and her son to accept the house so we decided to hand it over to a deserving Kenyan,” he said.
Mr Mongo said the new beneficiary was selected as he has six children, three of whom are physically disabled.
“We had three names from which Mr Macharia’s was picked. We were ordered from above to hand over the house officially and end this stalemate,” he said.