A troubling account has surfaced from Kilifi County, where children in some of the poorest schools are being compelled to recite Indian prayers before they can access meals of maize and beans donated by well-wishers. Is Kenya on the path to becoming “Singapore or Singapoor”? For many families, it feels like a degrading bargain: either comply or go hungry.
Circulating videos highlight the painful reality. In one, a little girl stands before a bowl of githeri, whispering the prayers in broken tones. Around her, classmates echo the words with visible hesitation.
Headteachers are seen supervising the exercise, making sure no child skips the ritual while the scent of food fills the air. Witnesses report that Indian charities fund the meals, but insist on religious rituals as part of the aid. In some kitchens, pictures of Hindu gods have been placed on the walls, creating what looks like makeshift shrines.
Here is a video of the of young students being taught the prayers.
They are supposed to chant them immediately they take food.
VIDEO:
“It’s like they’re teaching our kids about gods they’ve never heard of, just to get a plate of food,” one anonymous parent told reporters, her voice cracking with frustration.
The backlash has been sharp, especially since the government has spent billions on school feeding. In July 2025, President William Ruto promised to expand the programme to reach more children and improve attendance.
Still, in Ganze sub-county, where extreme poverty grips over 70 percent of households, schools often go without the funds to cook meals.
A headteacher confided, “We find ourselves in a difficult situation.” “No food means kids drop out or faint in class. But this? It’s eroding their dignity.”
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Legal minds are split on whether this is indoctrination. Kenya’s constitution protects freedom of belief, but critics say forcing pupils into unfamiliar chants in public schools undermines children’s rights under the Basic Education Act. “It’s quiet coercion,” said education advocate Jane Mwangi.
“Donors mean well, but at what cost to our cultural identity?” While the Ministry of Education has yet to receive formal complaints, online uproar is escalating.
As promised, here is the video of a headteacher instructing children to pray to Indian gods because the donors of maize and beans demanded it.
The headteacher admitted to my team they were forced into this, since the school has no food budget.
“Our leaders chant ‘hustler nation’ in rallies, but our kids are begging for food while bowing to foreign gods,” posted one netizen, capturing the public’s outrage.
Some teachers worry about the consequences: if donors pull out, pupils will return to empty plates. Ganze has long suffered from malnutrition, and hunger remains the number one cause of dropouts. For some, the prayers are just gratitude; for others, it is blatant exploitation.
Today I want to highlight something disturbing happening in Kilifi.
They say poverty is bad because whoever feeds you controls you.
In several schools, students receiving maize and beans donations are being forced to chant Indian prayers before eating.
“Imagine being so desperate that you teach toddlers to pray to deities they don’t know,” lamented a local elder.
With the short rains expected, communities cling to hopes of improved harvests, but the feeding programme’s shortcomings are glaring. Government promises of more supplies remain slow, and until then, children are caught in an impossible trade-off. Parents are demanding full disclosure on donor terms, urging the Ruto administration to secure solutions without strings.
“We need homegrown solutions, not handouts with strings attached,” one father declared.
The episode has reopened the debate on the ethics of aid, reminding the country that progress should mean feeding children without demanding their faith in return.
By Joseph Mambili
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