A few months ago, Kenyans could not believe that a widow from Kisauni had no other choice other than boil stones to distract her eight children who were crying of hunger.
This was the plight of 45-year-old Peninah Bahati Kitsao whose story first aired by NTV touched a lot of Kenyans.
When COVID-19 came, she lost her laundry job forcing her to do the unthinkable; boiling stones to make an impression that she was cooking and her kids would fall asleep.
Following her sad story, Kenyans of goodwill came together and fundraised. A bank account was also opened with her details to enable her gain some financial footing and to hold money sent through MPesa.
However, on Friday, a neighbor Prisca Momanyi burst the bubble whens she decried that she is yet to get the money.
She cited that after the death of her daughter aged four months in May, she has had little money to survive on.
Momanyi said that a select committee constituted to collect the money donated has been missing. She said that the money is at least Ksh1 million.
“Peninah received a lot of funds, amounting to over Ksh1 million if I am not wrong. I could not be part of that committee because I am the one who highlighted Peninah’s plight. I only requested to be informed occasionally about the kitty progress. Since that time to date, I haven’t heard a single word from them (committee members),” said Prisca Momanyi, a neighbor.
“We only read news articles in the media that they moved her to a new house and even bought her a parcel of land. When I visited Peninah recently, I was shocked to find her still living in the same house, under the same deplorable conditions. When I asked her what happened to the money well-wishers contributed for her, she broke down in tears, saying she was yet to receive a single penny from the committee members,” she added.
Peninah said that she has never seen the parcel of land that the committee allegedly bought for her and that she only saw the reports on social media.
“They (committee members) have never called to tell me where the parcel of land they allegedly bought me is located. People call to ask what I did with their money. I end up being speechless because I have never received a single coin of their contribution from the committee,” said the widow.
