MP wants Ruiru ranked as ‘marginalised’ region

Ruiru MP Simon King’ara says his constituency should be classified as ‘marginalized’ on account of the huge population which, however, is not considered when it comes to allocation of government resources.

He said Ruiru, with a population of over 700,000 residents and more than 100,000 learners in various institutions, gets equal amounts of education bursary allocations with other constituencies with far less populations.

“When people talk of marginalization, Ruiru should be on top of the list. I represent an area which is the equivalent of two or three constituencies in other areas, yet we get equal bursary and NG-CDF allocations, it’s time to change this trend,” said King’ara.

He added; “As Mt Kenya leaders, it is our time to stand and speak in one voice, that the national cake should come back in the measures each region contributes. For Ruiru, two options are there – to either divide it into two or three constituencies or have the bursary and NG-CDF kitties doubled to meet the growing infrastructural, education and security challenges that we have.”

King’ara was speaking when he disbursed cheques worth Sh75 million to over 21,000 beneficiaries in secondary schools, colleges and universities from his constituency.
Beneficiaries left out

He said that although the amount was the highest ever given out, it left out many more would-be beneficiaries out of the total 115,000 bursary applicants and underscored the need to review the revenue distribution formula to make population the main parameter in the allocation of the national cake.

The learners got between Sh 7,000 each for those in boarding secondary schools, tertiary institutions and universities and Sh3,500 for day secondary schools.

Two months ago, the constituency was in the news when a man from Githurai sub county died during a stampede on a queue by parents to get bursary application forms.

King’ara, however, thanked President William Ruto for responding to his plea for government support in construction of new classrooms in various schools to accommodate the Junior Secondary School wings.
They include 12 classrooms in Ruiru Primary and St George’s Primary as well as 9 others in Gitothua and Mwiki areas which have been built by well-wishers.

The MP’s sentiments were backed by the majority of the parents who called for fairness in allocation or distribution of resources saying that despite Mt Kenya region making the biggest contribution in terms of remitting revenue to the government, it has continued to get a raw deal through meagre allocations.

“It is time to amend the constitution and ensure that all taxpayers get a fair share of the national cake. Ruiru should for instance be divided into two to get more resources for development. Ruiru is populous and with continued population growth, the government should reconsider its resource allocation formula,” Godfrey Chege, a resident said.

The locals called on Mt Kenya parliamentarians to re-introduce the one-man-one-vote-one-shilling revenue sharing formula to fast-track increased allocation of resources for Ruiru and other populous regions in the country.

“Some learners from densely populated areas in Central Kenya are frequently sent home for lack of school fees when others are supported up to university level through government bursaries. A time has come for the government to rethink its resource allocation method to ensure fairness and equity,” said Daniel Ndegwa, a parent.

With increased allocation, the locals expressed optimism that leaders will get enough funds to cater for the increasing number of needy students in their constituencies owing to the harsh economic times most families are facing due the high cost of living.