Kwale County Government has rolled out a bursary allocation worth Ksh 60 million targeting 10,000 needy secondary school students across the county.
The move comes after the Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o suspended the bursary disbursements for more than eight months. Nyakang’o had also frozen the bursary budget for counties in the 2026/2027 financial year.
Speaking during the launch, Governor Fatuma Achani voiced concern over the ongoing standoff between counties and the Controller of Budget regarding bursary disbursements.
She noted that the impasse has left thousands of students stranded, while parents continue to struggle under the weight of rising school fees.
Achani said that education should not be disrupted by bureaucratic wrangles, warning that the burden is pushing many families to the brink.
“I appeal to the Controller of Budget and the national government to ease restrictions on bursary funds. It is not governors who suffer, but the needy students whose parents cannot afford school fees,” she said.
So far, the Elimu Ni Sasa program has supported more than 16,000 secondary school students, over 6,000 university learners, and an additional 16,000 students enrolled in technical and vocational training institutions.
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Achani revealed that her email and phone inboxes have already been flooded with messages from desperate parents and students seeking answers about the stalled bursaries.
She warned that the situation could worsen if disbursements remain suspended, cautioning that halting bursary programs undermines the very spirit of devolution.
“Every day, parents and students are writing to me asking when they will receive the bursary. Their future is at stake, and if this program is stopped, we risk reversing the progress we have made in education,” she said.
She questioned the essence of devolution if counties are not allowed the freedom to address local needs and drive their own development.
Achani stressed that the bursary funds are generated at the county level, not from the national government, wondering why counties are still being barred from supporting their own citizens.
“What is the purpose of devolution if counties cannot be trusted to manage their own development? This bursary money does not come from the national government, yet we are denied the chance to help our people. It defeats the whole spirit of devolution,” she added.
Governor Achani assured parents and students that her administration remains committed to prioritizing education, describing it as the cornerstone for transforming the socio-economic future of Kwale.
She vowed to continue engaging national government agencies to unlock funds and safeguard the continuity of bursary programs.
By Mwajabe Omar
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