New Chapati Machine At Toi Primary, Nairobi. [David Gichuru, Standard]
More than a year after President Ruto's chapati machine pledge made him the butt of jokes, Nairobi schools have started getting chapati, from a machine making 2,000 an hour.
The machine sits at Toi Primary Kitchen, part of the Dishi na County school feeding programme.
In March 2025, Ruto promised to buy a machine that could make 1 million chapatis a day.
The promise came after Governor Johnson Sakaja asked for help feeding pupils. Kenyans mocked the pledge online and nicknamed Ruto "El Chapo."
Some lawmakers, including Babu Owino, said the county had bigger problems to solve.
By October 2025, Sakaja revealed the machine the county actually bought could only make 6,000 to 8,000 chapatis an hour, far below what was promised.
Chapatis from the new machine will go to schools on a set schedule, with each school getting its own chapati day.