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Alittle known location in Mukogodo Ward,Laikipia county is changing the education landscape with a very proactive and revolutionary bursary programme.

Il Ngwesi location under the Il Ngwesi Conservancy situated in Laikipia North Sub-County has developed an education kitty, which will target at least 600 students at a cost ofSh9.1 million. 

The kitty was launched recently through a concerted partnership involving Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) and Laikipia Conservancies Association (LCA), among other development partners.

The idea was borne from the community’s dependency on pastoralism, which denies many children a chance at education as they migrate in search of water and pasture for their livestock. 

Another challenge is the noticeable inequality of boys and girls where the latter struggles to play catch up as parents prioritise wealth from bride price over education with the biggest red spot being early child marriages.

Patrick Leresi who sits on the Il Ngwesi Conservancy Management Board as the Director of Education told Scholar that the fund will benefit the region immensely and put them on a better path of sustainable development. “We cannot rely on pastoral activities given the vagaries of drought. Today, over 50 per cent of students are missing a chance at education, because of lack of money. The two-year famine affected our livestock, which most of our people rely on to sustain their families. We are looking at boosting the fund with more partner support, because this will open up doors for poor families,” he said.

The project, which will target at the onset- secondary school,college and university students will see all seven neighbourhoods of Il Ngwesi benefiting. “Our intervention is to uplift the livelihood of the community and create equity through Education. We want all our members to benefit from this programme,” she added.

Nancy Tausi of Ngare Ndare Women’s Group, which sits under the Il Ngwesi Conservancy commended the programme as revolutionary and that it will push the community out of poverty. “Our girls particularly will now have an opportunity to go to school, which will save them them from forced and early marriages. It will ensure that they do not lose hope, but continue with education even if there is no money,” she said adding that harmful practices, such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and teenage pregnancies can be averted.

Timely help

“All the students who will be enrolled in the scholarship programme, will be accorded Sh10,000 per term. Leresi has called the plan an avenue to open minds. Education is important, especially for this pastoral community. For us, it gives us an opportunity also to raise awareness, especially on girl-child equity and success because it is honestly lacking in areas like ours. Education as we know it changes mindsets and helps people to diversify their livelihood,” he offered.

Nancy Teiteyo,23, a beneficiary of the project has praised the bursary saying it has been a lifeline for her ever since she got help in 2019. “As orphans,this was a booster for us and very timely. I can say it came in handy as it helped to clear overlapping balances. I cleared campus at Laikipia University courtesy of this programme, otherwise, I would have been in a hole. Getting this opportunity can be attributed to the fairness employed in distribution of the funds,” she said.

The uptake of education in rural Laikipia county has also had challenges due insecurity and poverty. The lack of education has been classified as an economic issue and as a result, many donor programmes are now taking root to support the sector. Laikipia North in particular has benefited through assistance mostly from Northern Rangelands Trust and Laikipia Conservancies Association.

The primary-secondary schools transition rate in Laikipia is less than 50 per cent, despite the fact that over 75 per cent of the students meet the minimum requirements to be accepted to secondary school. Nearly 50 per cent of children who drop out find alternatives to going to school in herding and small-scale farming. The lack of educational opportunities has also led to more girls being married off early (sometimes at the age 14 years, or even younger), and the rise of crimes, such as cattle rustling and gang violence among boys in Laikipia county.

Great impa impact

In neighbouring Naiboni location,the Community Management Board under the Naibunga Lower Conservancy has effected three bursaries between 2021and 2022.The area has 20,000 estimated persons residing in different villages and as the Chairman Matthew Naiptari, says, education is beginning to feel much more appreciated even in the wake of the drought impact. 

“We have in place a bursary programme that helps us over here. We only have one secondary school here, so it is easy to reach and assist most students. So far we have issued a total of Shs 460,000 that has benefited 81 students with emphasis on orphans and other needy cases. In 2021,we had two bursary programmes and this year we have had one. We are seeing impact, because more people are now taking education seriously and it also is reducing pressure on parents. We have multiple primary schools, and we are happy with Northern Rangelands Trust and Laikipia Conservancies Association for really trying to assist, including others who help in other avenues, such as feeding programmes and pads distribution,” stated Naiptari.