In Nyamesocho Village, Boochi Borabu Ward, Bomachoge Borabu Constituency, a young man named Borniface Ondara is a happy man. And he has a reason to be.
Narrating his experience to Education News at his family home, Ondara said he is a fourth-year student at the University of Kabianga who has been struggling to clear his outstanding fees balance because his parents could not afford it.
"We called for a funds drive but raised only Sh30,000, which was not enough to clear the fees balance," he said.
Then, he says, his father approached the office of the area MP, Obadiah Barongo, who cleared the fees.
It is on this ground that Ondara now says he wants to meet MP Barongo and appreciate him, although he has never met him before, and is asking anyone who can to connect him to the MP.
Student's appeal sparks debate
The story has sparked debate in Bomachoge Borabu. Some residents have found his request illogical.
"He knows where his office is. Why can't he just walk there and get connected by the office workers?" one resident asked. "Why seek a connection on social media for an office that is in Kenyenya, just a few kilometres away?"
But beyond the logistics of meeting the MP, there is a bigger civic question that this story exposes: Do our students and parents know that money allocated through NG-CDF to pay school fees is not MPs' personal money?
That money is not from MP Barongo's pocket. It is NG-CDF — the National Government Constituencies Development Fund. It is public money, financed by taxpayers. The law provides for its use in supporting constituency development, including education bursaries. The MP has a role in the fund's constituency-level structures, while bursary applications are considered through the prescribed administrative and committee processes. The money is public funding, not a personal donation.
When a student gets a bursary, it is not a favour from a politician. It is support from public funds, subject to eligibility and the applicable allocation procedures.
This confusion is what politicians can exploit to buy loyalty, especially ahead of elections.
Residents call for civic education
Jane Nyanchama, a parent from Magena, says the culture of praising MPs for bursaries has created beggars out of rights-holders.
"Our children think the MP has done them a great favour, so they must sing his praises and even campaign for him. But that is our money. The MP did not go to his farm to sell tea to pay fees. It is our taxes. We should thank the government, not worship an individual," she says.
Alfred Onderi, a youth leader in Kenyenya, echoes the same sentiment. According to him, the lack of civic education has made many young people vulnerable to political manipulation.
"A student who gets Sh30,000 from NG-CDF will be paraded at a political rally to say 'our MP is development conscious.' That Sh30,000 will be used to buy his loyalty for five years, while the MP controls millions of shillings of public money that are never accounted for. We must teach our children to differentiate between personal generosity and public duty," Onderi argues.
It is true that Barongo's office helped Ondara, according to the student's account. That is commendable, because supporting eligible students is among the responsibilities of the constituency's bursary administration. The officers there are paid by taxpayers to serve.
But Borniface Ondara does not need a "connection" to thank his MP. He needs to know that he was helped through a public institution. The best way to appreciate that help is not by kneeling before a politician, but by studying hard, graduating, paying taxes and demanding accountability for how the rest of the NG-CDF money is used in Bomachoge Borabu.
Public funds and political accountability
The public must be educated. Do not be bought by your own money.
When a politician facilitates payment of fees using NG-CDF, it does not mean the beneficiary owes that politician a vote. The politician has performed a public duty. Let the public stop surrendering their democratic rights in exchange for bursaries financed by public funds.
All the same, Education News asks those concerned to hear and respond to the calls of Borniface, who would like to meet his MP and appreciate him.
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