Online mockery and widespread sneering have greeted President William Ruto’s promise to purchase a chapati-making machine in order to increase the mass manufacturing of the elegant flatbread for high school pupils.
When Ruto made the haughty pledge to the boisterous children at St. Teresa Girls Secondary School in Mathare on the second day of his development tour of Nairobi, he seemed to agree with an appeal made to him by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.
Shortly before, Sakaja had asked the students what they wanted to see on the menu and they had suggested chapati, so he sought Ruto for assistance in buying a chapati-making machine that could make a million units a day to support the city’s “Dishi Na County” school feeding program.
In response to the enthusiastic students, President Ruto declared, “I have agreed to buy a chapati-making machine.” Finding a place to purchase it is now your task, Governor.
The majority of Kenyans, however, were not pleased with Ruto’s sweetened pledge; many referred to it as a pointless endeavor that would not necessarily enhance the well-being of Nairobi residents and Kenyans in general, and that did not even mention it as a vital requirement for high school pupils.
The president was also criticized by many for his tendency to prioritize things that aren’t in line with reality and for taking pride in minor accomplishments and passing them off as significant turning points in his presidency.
“Chinese president launches new 20 bullet trains, 3 space stations, and 5,000 km of expressway,” wrote X user Kabara. A nuclear power plant is launched by the president of Japan. In a year, Ibrahim Traore plans to construct fifty level five hospitals. William Ruto: I will provide a machine capable of producing one million chapatis in a day.
According to well-known cartoonist and humorist Kibet Bull, “They will soon also go for Irungu Kang’ata. Those who accomplish better than the president are despised by this regime. While the president is launching Chapatis, Irungu Kang’ata is launching mobile dialysis centers.
Some ingenious Kenyans even went so far as to brand Ruto “El Chapo,” a moniker that comes from the title of one of Mexico’s most infamous drug lords and that also speaks to him because of the street word for chapati, chapo.
Assuming that 40,000 packets of wheat flour and 20,000 liters of cooking oil would be needed to produce one million chapatis every day, a financial analysis of the associated costs showed that the government would be spending up to Ksh. 10 million every day and an astounding Ksh. 2.5 billion annually.
The cost of labor, transportation, distribution, and other associated technicalities are not included in this, as they would undoubtedly increase the final cost.
Ruto seems to still have an unhealthy habit of making roadside declarations, many of which have been shown to have failed to materialize weeks, months, or even years after they were made. This is in spite of the recent pushback from Kenyans and even the clergy, who have been urging the President to just work and refrain from dishing out promises every new day.
By feeding them the ingredients, chapati-making machines, also known as roti makers, are advertised as an easy way to produce the dish in large quantities.
Depending on their production, they can cost up to Ksh. 150,000; some can make up to 2,000 chapatis in an hour.
