Nakuru Pic

Nakuru Governor Kinuthia Mbugua (with mic) and other county leaders during the release of the funds. Each ward received Ksh. 1 m to be distributed as bursary.

The County government of Nakuru has disbursed a total of sh55 million meant for bursary. The amount will be distributed equally to each of its 55 wards and will benefit close to 17,000 students.

While disbursing the funds at the county headquarters on Friday April 30 Governor Kinuthia Mbugua said that this number represents 10 percent of all students in the county.

Apart from benefiting needy students in Primary and Secondary Schools the money will also be distributed to students in driving schools and in special schools.

Over 49,000 students in Nakuru have benefited from the Nakuru county bursary program in the last two years.
The Governor said that the bursary programme which has benefited close to 50,000 students since it was launched two years ago has impacted positively on the welfare of citizens in the county.

“This program has also a high impact socially, economically and politically in the society and it has also played a key role in retaining students in schools which impacts on the education standards in the county,” he said.

“Enhancing and sustaining quality education is difficult but we are determined and through a program like this we will achieve,” the governor said.

But while saying that the issuing of the funds is welcome, John Ojimbi of the Nakuru Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC) has observed it might raise questions on its timing just before the close of the government fiscal year on 30th June.

“County governments are now dishing out the money they have in their accounts so that they don’t return it to the their treasury,” he said calling for more scrutiny on the use of county funds.

Responding to this Dundori Member of County Assembly (MCA) Steve Kihara blamed the central government “delaying funds” thus leading to the delay of the bursary issuing process.

“This money was meant for the first term but we started filling the forms in January. The money from the treasury should be sent to the counties in time,” he said.

The county had allocated sh2 million for bursary in the 2014/15 financial year and it will be expected to issue the remaining sh1 million before June 30.