Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ezekiel Machogu has responded to social media criticisms following viral photos of a pupil holding an umbrella for him as he addressed a crowd.
Machogu on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, attended the Murang’a Child Bursaries awarding ceremony at Mumbi Stadium.
During the event, a pupil used an umbrella to shield the CS from the sun’s heat.
Netizens were quick to throw stones at Machogu as the short pupil appeared to be struggling to lift the umbrella high up to cover the CS from his head.
Nairobi politician Alinur Mohamed was among Kenyans who criticized the Education CS after the photo went viral.
“A whole education minister mistreating a 10-year-old boy by forcing him to hold an umbrella behind him as gives his two hours speech! Why would education CS Prof Ezekiel Machogu instruct a child to hold an umbrella for him, and it’s not raining, and their is no sun? This is wrong,” Alinur Mohamed wrote on his X account.
A whole education minister mistreating a 10-year-old boy by forcing him to hold an umbrella behind him as gives his two hours speech! Why would education CS Prof Ezekiel Machogu instruct a child to hold an umbrella for him, and it’s not raining, and their is no sun? This is wrong pic.twitter.com/WZma4QR5Js
— Alinur Mohamed (@AlinurMohamed_) January 16, 2024
School fees
Speaking on Wednesday when he presided over the 2024 KCB Foundation Scholars’ flag-off ceremony at KCB Karen leadership centre in Nairobi, Machogu clarified that the boy approached him because he wanted to draw his attention to his situation.
The CS noted that the pupil demanded to cover him with the umbrella because he was seeking school fees, uniform and shoes from him.
“I love you all my children here, everywhere I go watoto tunapendana. Nilienda pahali ingine mtoto because he wanted to get the attention of the CS, ukiona mtoto amekuja na muavuli si ati… Hio mtoto alikua anataka school fees na nguo ya uniform na shoes,” Machogu said.
“Naona media inachukua ahh ile mwavuli aliitisha, si CS that small guy insisted to be besides me until I said ok here is something for you. And then later on I was able to consult with him nikamsaidia vile alikua anataka because he comes from a background that you and me don’t come from,” he added.
