Fredrick Odiero
Seme parliamentary aspirant Dr. Richard Ayah has launched a feeding programme and sanitary towels distributions to public schools in the constituency which will target over 1000 school girls.
The initiatives are targeted for the development of children and help in keeping them in schools.
Dr. Ayah said Seme has been lagging behind in matters of education, especially performance due to the high poverty level which keeps children out of schools.
Dr. Ayah revealed the plans after giving out sanitary towels to girls at Orando Primary School, adding that his main aim is to ensure girls are retained in schools at all times.
“We want our girls to have ample time to study so that they can perform well because education is the best investment we can give to our children. Under Ayah for Education, we go to schools and provide for them cereals to feed children. The initiative is purely to support our children,” said Dr. Ayah.
He is running the initiatives under the Ayah Foundation in memory of his late father who served Kisumu Rural Constituency for many years.
Dr. Ayah said he initiated the feeding program especially during examinations period not because of politics but to respond to the challenges that many families are facing.
He assured parents and students that the initiative will be sustainable even after political campaigns are over.
Dr. Ayah, who was accompanied by his wife, spoke at St Barnabas Secondary School during the school Open Day.
Dr. Ayah said they are distributing sanitary pads to girls in all public schools in Seme to complement the government’s effort, which is not adequate.
The pads are given to girls of adolescent age. More than 1,000 school girls are targeted under the program.
He pointed out that most children miss going to school and perform poorly in examinations due to lack of the sanitary pads during their menstruation periods.
Dr. Ayah, who is the son of former powerful Kisumu Rural MP and Foreign Affairs minister Wilson Ndolo Ayah, wants to unseat incumbent Dr. James Nyikal. They will battle it out for the ODM party ticket in April before the August 8 general election.
He is a public health specialist who has worked at the University of Nairobi as director of Science and Technology Park, consultant for UNICEF, WHO and Director; Centre for Health Solutions and Radio Africa.
He is a Health Policy and Health Systems Management senior lecturer at the School of Public Health, University of Nairobi.
Ayah is also a member of Kenya’s Task Force on Covid-19 Vaccine Development.
