By Matilda Atieno
Kisumu County today issued the final tranche of county bursaries and scholarships worth 51M to needy secondary and students of the marine school in the county.
In a ceremony presided over by Deputy Governor Dr. Mathew Owili, about 30,000 beneficiaries of Ksh.205M secondary school bursaries and 70 students in the marine school, 35 males, 35 females drawn from each of the 35 wards in the county received Ksh.60, 000 on each totaling Ksh. 4.2m. The Ward Bursary Committees identified the students following a vetting process in each ward. The Committees was established to ensure transparency and accountability and to reduce complaints in issuing the bursaries and scholarships.
While addressing the beneficiaries, Dr. Owili on behalf of Governor Nyong’o, said that the scholarship is aimed at enabling students from poor backgrounds to remain in school after enrollment, noting that the allocations for this kitty have been on an upward trajectory since 2017 compared to the preceding years.
Currently, the bursary allocations per ward have doubled from Ksh.2M to Ksh.4.1million in 2018 even as the number of students on scholarship per ward has also raised from 8 to 10.
Dr. Owili also presided over the issuance of certificates to marine students who through the county scholarship have accomplished coxswain training. So far, the county government under the leadership of Governor Nyong’o has given out bursaries and scholarships worth over Ksh 609M to 110,079 beneficiaries in the last 4 years.
The chair of the education committee of the county assembly, Hon. David Arao and his counterpart Hon Seth Kanga applauded the governor for having made the largest bursary disbursement in the history of the county government. He affirmed that the county government has achieved many development milestones in the education sector adding that the bursaries will go a long way in lessening the parents’ burden on school fees at a time many of them facing financially related hardships.
The Deputy Governor also thanked other players who have independently supported Kisumu County through scholarship, including development partners such as the Equity Bank through the Wings to Fly program, the National Government through the CDF and The Kenya Commercial Bank scholarship program.
The CEC Member for Education Mr. John Owiti echoed the county’s commitment to ensure NO needy child fails to go to school.
The various heads of institutions, the chairperson of the county scholarship and bursary committee, county officials and student beneficiaries, witnessed the event.
