This archive report was first published on 9 October 2019.
On October 9, 2019, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko pledged financial assistance to families affected by the tragic collapse of a classroom at Precious Talent Top School. However, a recent development has left many questioning the nature of this assistance.
David Njeru, a father of one of the children who lost their life in the tragedy, has come forward to express his confusion over the financial assistance he received. According to Njeru, the money he received was labeled as 'salary' from City Hall.
'I can confirm and assure you that the money that I got said I had received salary. All I want to know is that if the money was a donation or the Nairobi county had employed the families who lost children in the tragedy and if we have been employed,' said Mr Njeru.
Earlier, a committee formed to oversee funeral arrangements for the pupils who died in the collapsed classroom had denied allegations of squandering funeral money. Their denial came after Sonko shared a video on social media, where a man identified as Allan Assawa claimed that the bereaved families did not receive any money as promised by the Nairobi county government.
The family of Germine Njeru is now concerned that the assistance they received may have been irregularly paid out of the county salaries account. The office of the governor has denied the allegations, stating that the money came from the county emergency fund. However, the chief of finance has said that the money was from operational purposes, and any irregularities will be rectified.
