Governor appeals to school principals not to send students home for lack of fees, saying his administration will ensure that there are no delays in the remitting of funds
By Albert Lemomo
The County Government of Kajiado has increased the bursary fund from Ksh80 million to Ksh150 million.
Governor Joseph ole Lenku announced that the improved bursary kitty will see 430 needy students get full scholarships. He attributed the increased funding to enhanced revenue collection. “Since my administration assumed power, we have increased our revenue collection from hundreds of millions to at least a billion shillings a year,” said Lenku.
The improved kitty, Lenku said, will support 9,150 beneficiaries, 6,000 of them being in secondary schools. “Up to 430 students will get full scholarships, with those in secondary schools getting Ksh50,000 yearly while those in universities and tertiary colleges get Ksh100,000 annually.”
The governor appealed to school principals not to send students home for lack of fees, saying his administration will ensure that there are no delays in the remitting of funds. “We will ensure that all the remittances have been deposited into school accounts before the beginning of second term, so that the pupils are not sent away,” he said. “Let us strive to keep our students in school. When some of the students go home for fees, they end staying up to a month in an environment that ends up frustrating them, leading to bad results.”
The county boss made an assurance that the process of identifying beneficiaries is above board. “We had the input of village elders, ward managers, and ward administrators, among other key figures in the community, to ensure we only help those who are needy,” he said. “If anyone is aware of a case where a rich parent has enlisted their children in the programme, visit my office and we shall act accordingly.”
Ewuaso Kedong Member of County Assembly Justus Kilesi, who also doubles as the chair of the Education Committee at the County Assembly, challenged guardians to ensure that their children work hard in school. “We do not wish to waste funds with non-performers. There are other children who would have benefitted,” said Kilesi.
Mary Njeri, a parent, lauded the governor’s efforts to support needy families and challenged other leaders to follow suit. “This is a positive step because on top of the bursary, we now have full scholarships; that is the type of leadership that makes a difference to us rather than the never-ending politics. All leaders should come to the ground and make tangible changes to the problems that affect the people,” she said.
