Book donors have decried the poor reading culture in Africa and appealed to African leaders to reverse this worrying trend.
Children International Kenya Director Dominic Simba and Gift in Kind coordinator Samson Wanyonyi said the bad reading culture is worse off in Kenya. Speaking during a book donation Programme at St Mathias Boys Secondary School in Busia Town on Thursday which was presided over by Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong, the two donors said reading books will help future generations.
” If you want to hide a treasure from a Black Man hide it in a book, “Wanyonyi whose organization started donating books in 2009 said. Simba said his organization is operating in seven countries in the world and Kenya and Zambia in Africa, adding that 25 counties in Kenya have benefitted from the books program.
Ojaamong thanked Children International and Gift in Kind for the donation saying it will help improve the County’s performance in national examinations.The Governor said as a trained Biology and Chemistry teacher he was aware of the challenges inherent in the profession that includes schemes of work and lesson plan.
“Development is a process where you have to plan and then execute it. People who think I have no agenda for the county don’t know what they are talking about. Before the National Government disbursed funds to the Counties it was a constitutional requirement to avail their agendas for the county which is the County Integrated Development Plan,” he said.
Busia First Lady Judy Ojaamong said the books worth about 30 million was a free donation. “We only met the cost of shipment from the Port of Mombasa of Sh388,000,”Judy said over 180 Primary and secondary schools received books to be distributed to their institutions and urged beneficiaries to make full use of the books.
Busia Assembly Speaker Bernard Wamalwa said the book donation will help the county achieve 100 per cent literacy.
