NAIROBI, Kenya, May 11– Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has appealed for more funding to the counties to meet the growing demand for student bursaries.
Speaking during the launch of the distribution of bursaries worth Sh108.2 million to needy students in Baricho area of Ndia constituency, Kirinyaga County, Waiguru said funding for bursaries is insufficient to support students’ academic progress because of the large number of those in need of support.
She stated that to address the challenge, the revenue distribution formula must be urgently revised to make population the primary factor in resource allocation.
“The bursaries we are giving out are not enough; I want to join those calling for increased funding for counties, especially for bursaries. We are proposing even if it is a conditional grant, we will be grateful because this will help our children remain in school,” she said.
Inequality
The Council of Governors Chairperson regretted that students in the most populous counties received between Sh2,000 and Sh3,000 based on the number of applicants, while other counties were able to fully fund the education of needy students by granting them 100 per cent bursaries.
The Kirinyaga County bursary kitty launched on Wednesday will benefit 40,565 needy students studying in various secondary schools, universities and tertiary institutions drawn from all the 20 wards across the county including 30,571 secondary school students, 5,103 college students and 4,891 university students.
“The bursary programme ensures that needy students, who are identified through a rigorous vetting process by Ward Bursary Committees, are able to access education regardless of their backgrounds,” Waiguri sated.
“We remain committed to supporting the education of the children in the county, the improvement of academic performance and ultimately, the lives of the youth in the county.”
She committed to sustain infrastructure development in institutions of learning to enhance service delivery as well as digital learning at ECDE centers.
