In a spirited initiative to empower Kenyan communities through civic education, activist Morara Kebaso has announced that his fundraising efforts have so far generated Ksh254,500.
The funds, collected from a supportive public, are designated for educating citizens in rural constituencies across Kenya.
“As of this morning 8 am, we have collected Ksh. 254,500 for the special program of Civic Education. If we distribute this resource across the 290 constituencies, then we will only have about Ksh.878 bob in every constituency,” Morara said in a statement on Monday, October 28, 2024, clarifying his plans for the funds.
Morara hopes to reach over 100 volunteers per constituency, each tasked with spreading awareness of civic rights and responsibilities.
“We target to support not less than 100 volunteers in every constituency to do civic enlightenment in the villages. We humbly request that you continue supporting us to achieve this goal. Mpesa Number is 0708985611 or 0722404397,” Morara added.
To safeguard accountability, Kebaso revealed the establishment of a transparent framework to handle donations responsibly.
The activist assured donors that their contributions were in safe hands, stressing that he would publish audited statements annually and on special request.
“Yesterday we established accountability mechanisms. This week we are registering a joint account of three signatories. We will publish audited statements annually and on special request. The funds we are collecting right now are specifically for Civic Education and not for any recurrent expenditure. Any member of the public who has contributed can visit the office for finer details of accounts,” he assured.
While appealing for further contributions, Morara Kebaso added that non-monetary support, such as prayers, is also warmly welcomed.
When one supporter commented, “Have you received my prayers? I just sent them,” Kebaso responded warmly, saying, “Yes, we accept prayers as a very valuable contribution.”
Morara Kebaso’s U-turn
In September 2024, Morara Kebaso made headlines by announcing his decision to refund donations raised for his civic education initiative, expressing dissatisfaction with the progress of meaningful change in Kenya’s governance.
He emphasized his commitment to maintaining a good reputation, stating, “I cannot continue to dirtify my reputation and earn the tag of a conman or beggar. It’s not worth it. For this reason, I would like to refund any Kenyan that has supported me and felt conned.”
To streamline the refund process, Morara requested that anyone seeking reimbursement submit the original M-Pesa message they received upon donating.
He assured contributors of a transparent process, stating, “Please comment below with the M-Pesa message. I will check if it’s real, refund you in full with a top-up for withdrawal then I will copy paste my refund message below your comment.”
Morara also reflected on the political climate, noting, “I am grateful for all the support Kenyans have given me. But a time comes when a man must decide whether the nation is worth fighting for. My observation is that most Kenyans have already decided the country they want to live in.”
Earlier that month, on September 3, he had appealed to the public for financial support to expand his civic education efforts, seeking to raise between Ksh840,000 and Ksh1.2 million.
To his surprise, he received overwhelming support, with contributions exceeding his mobile account limit of Ksh500,000.
Additionally, Morara was gifted a luxurious house in Kahawa Sukari, Nairobi County, to serve as his office and operational base.
Morara rose to prominence for his audits of stalled Kenya Kwanza government projects, often clashing with senior officials in the process.
