'Kaa Sober' Initiative: Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu Defends Sh2 Million Daily Pay for Alcoholics

Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu has defended the Sh2 million daily bill set aside for payment of alcoholics in the county.

Speaking on Saturday, Waititu told off critics of the 'Kaa Sober' initiative, a program that seeks to rehabilitate alcohol addicts by paying them Sh400 each per day for in exchange for general cleaning and bush clearing services. He dismissed claims that the program was a waste of resources.

Waititu said the more than 5,000 recruits under the initiative will be enrolled for short technical courses including masonry, hairdressing, beauty and carpentry and will graduate by December this year.

"Tell those who are criticising this project that you also have a right to a portion of the government resources available for this county," he told Kiganjo ward residents yesterday.

"If someone comes to you to criticise this project, ask them if they are in support of this programme that ensures that your stomachs are full.”

“You cannot eat roads or the street lighting poles. Let those criticising this projects stop feeling envious of the Sh400 that you are getting per day as they pocket millions in their accounts," he told the recruits.

Waititu said the project was a success as some of the addicts have remarried while others have returned to their homes.

"Talk to those among you that do not have wives. Go ahead and make plans for them to marry so that they can live a full life. The life of a man with a wife and that of one without cannot be compared. They are as different as heaven and earth," Waititu told the recruits.