Over 15,000 students from the day secondary schools have benefited from a Kshs. 26 million courtesy of the Bondo NG-CDF for the third term.
Bondo MP Dr Gideon Ochanda, who spearheads the NG-CDF initiatives in the constituency, said the bursary program was designed to cushion vulnerable families by easing the cost of education for day secondary school learners.
He emphasised that the intervention ensures continuity in learning and prevents students from dropping out due to financial hardship.
The support is part of the yearly program, where the kitty supports students in day secondary schools by providing funding for feeding programs, in an effort to keep the students in school and learn.
Day Secondary school students have continued to benefit from bursary support because most of them come from impoverished backgrounds, and hence they can’t afford to join boarding schools. In the program, we have taken it upon ourselves to cover all the necessary fees for the feeding programs in these schools, as the government already pays the tuition fees. All we require parents to do is to assist schools by paying KShs. 1700 only, which will help in paying the cooks and firewood,” Ochanda clarified.
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According to the MP, the move was also necessitated by the perennial problem of delayed capitation to schools by the government, noting that the education system and management have terribly exposed schools to untold suffering due to a lack of resources. He mentioned that even in the 4th week of the third term, schools have yet to receive capitation, which is also sent inadequately.
Dr Ochanda, however, had good news for the day schools, disclosing that beginning in 2026, the NG-CDF Bondo will upscale its support to cover full scholarships for schools that emerge as the best performers academically.
“While this support will continue next year, we have resolved to begin ranking schools based on performance, where top schools will benefit from a full scholarship and won’t need to pay the termly Kshs. 1,700 since we will be rewarding them. Those that do not work hard will continue benefiting but must pay the small termly feeding fee,” he noted.
He also appealed for heightened efforts towards protecting the education rights of the girl child, especially along the beach areas where cases of teenage pregnancies and early Marriages are taking place. He also decried the school dropout for girls across the gold mining regions of Bondo and asked authorities to rein in and save the girl child.
By Erick Nyayiera
