KIAMBU AWARDS 38 MILLION TO BURSARIES

The County Government of Kiambu has awarded bursaries worth KES 38,500,000 to needy and deserving learners from the county. This is part of the flagship programmes by Governor Waititu Babayao to promote education through bursaries and scholarships. The awards were done through cheques worth four million shillings disbursed by the Department of Education while the balance sum of KES 34,500,000 is set to be issued to the 60 wards.

Speaking during the award ceremony at the County Government headquarters, Governor Waititu said that his government has made available the Bursary Fund specifically for the orphans, persons with disabilities and those who come from extremely humble backgrounds. “My aim is to provide an opportunity for everyone to pursue education and achieve their dreams and goals,” he said.

The County Government first disbursed cheques worth KES 120 Million across the 60 wards last year while the second phase of KES 80 Million will be disbursed before the end of this financial year. The bursary fund for the FY 2018/2019 is valued at KES 200 million and is set to benefit over 20,000 students.

Chief Executive Committee Member for the department of education Dr. Joseph Kang’ethe says that this is a great milestone for the County Government. “We are working hard towards improving the education sector within the county as compared to the previous administration where the disbursements were way lower than that,” he said.

Governor Waititu’s has put in place plans to establish a revolving fund for higher education learners to ensure that University students and youth in polytechnics do not struggle to pay tuition fees. This is expected to increase the enrollment into tertiary institutions and to ensure that the youth in the county have skills to make them employable or self-reliant. The Bursary Fund is also set to be increased in the consequent financial years.