MP decries over low allocation of bursaries
By Mathew.Ndungu, January 19, 2024
Thika Town MP Alice Wambui Ng’ang’a has decried low bursary allocation for heavily populated constituencies saying that the education fund’s sharing formula has disenfranchised students from needy families.
The lawmaker expressed concerns that Ruiru, Thika, Juja, Mwea among other densely populated constituencies are unfairly treated when it comes to allocation of education resources.
She regretted that unlike in some constituencies where students receive full scholarships, their counterparts from crowded constituencies get a raw deal in the allocation, a situation that continues to interrupt their studies as they are frequently sent home to collect school fees.
The MP who was addressing hundreds of parents who had gathered at Kimuchu Chief’s office to collect bursary application forms vowed to sponsor a Bill that will see the bursary fund allocation formula amended to facilitate fairness among all students in the country, the resident constituencies notwithstanding.
Huge amounts
“You elected me to represent you and I will continue to do so. This is a matter I will take to parliament. I will present the application forms as part of my evidence to back my case. It is unfair that students from other constituencies get huge amounts of bursary as our students continue to suffer. We want to, going forward, push for equal allocation of bursary funds for all students across the country,” said the MP.
“Some constituencies such as Ruiru, Thika, Juja and Mwea are treated unfairly when it comes to bursary allocations owing to the huge number of students they accommodate,” she added.
The MP at the same time announced that parents with children in day secondary schools will from next year begin paying a termly amount of Sh 2,000 after she finalises a program that seeks to reduce school fees paid by parents.