On February 28, 2025, the Saboti MP Caleb Amisi arrived at Matisi Polling Station by 6am, prepared to launch the allocation of bursaries for the 2024/2025 financial year.
There was just a small crowd, but Amisi had to wait for long as he was to receive a remarkable number of parents who were the “guests of the day”.
According to the MP, this has become like marking the calendar of the constituency whenever the bursary allocation is flagged in the area.
As his flagship development agenda for his re-election in 2022 for the second term, the ODM legislator was present on the ground to ensure the successful launch of the 2025 bursary exercise before being extended to the other over 50 polling stations in the constituency.
With patience like exhibited by beneficiaries of the bursary themselves, the MP who has earned the moniker of Kijana Power and Kenya Needs Renaissance on his X social media platform, the vocal Opposition MP could not leave the site insisting on the transparency for over 5,000 students the earmarked to cover for the over Khs 20 million budget for kitty.
The MP’s next stop would be the Kitale Soil Conservation polling Station, where a similar exercise was ongoing before he moved to the other stations in the five Wards in the constituency—Matisi, Kinyoro, Saboti, Machewa, and Tuwan. His mission: a free and fair exercise for all eligible applicants.
Bursary distribution
But why Amisi’s personal commitment to the bursary distribution? Why not trust his allies and the constituency office staff with the task? Why allocate more time as he was being roasted and relieved of influential Committee positions in the National Assembly?
The MP says the interests of the people of Saboti were paramount over other issues, which is why they gave him a second term in 2022.
He adds that he sought their permission to vie for a higher office in 2027. Along all the routes, the crowds shouted to contest the presidency, which he acknowledged but asked for more time to consult widely.
He said education was among his top agendas in the 2022 Manifesto. He added that the area was still struggling to improve the infrastructure in most primary schools in rural areas, which former leaders had neglected.
During the tenures of his predecessors Eugene Wamalwa and Wafula Lazaro, there were allegations of biased bursary issuance, with some students being forced to seek external support from the underlying constituencies of Cherangany, Endebess, Kwanza, and Kiminini.
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This is an anomaly Caled Amisi is trying to correct despite other bursaries being offered by the Trans Nzoia Governor, George Natembeya, under the county Elimu Bursary Fund. The 25 elected MCAs are also running parallel bursaries in their respective wards.
But what are the secrets behind the Saboti bursary fund allocation under the banner Bursary Iendelee? The MP has put methodologies in every corner of the constituency to capture all the needy students for secondary schools, tertiary institutions, and universities. This is in addition to the special sponsorship run independently by the MP himself.
Among the guidelines for issuance of bursaries are that parents or guardians fill out serialized forms for their children to avoid double allocations and cheating.
“Once you fill out the forms, you will be guaranteed funding, with an allocation between Khs 5000 and 20,000, depending on your needs and the fees charged by the institutions,” said teacher Leonard Khisa.
And why has Amisi’s bursary become a copy and paste for the others N-CDF countrywide?
The verifying starts with the residents themselves. To lock out non-residents who could have benefited from other outside sources, you have to register at one of the polling stations in the constituency.
The parents/guardians are the sole owners of the forms, which are only taken to Chiefs or Assistants for certification. This, however, is the last point, as the final decision lies with the appointed independent committee in the constituency’s office.
“This way, genuine students will benefit from the bursary despite it not being enough,” Amisi said at Machewa.
A parent, Moses Makhoha, said the serialization process had tried to limit cheating and enable as many students to be covered and to complete their courses, while Mercy Cheptoo said the move had barred politicians from interfering and clamouring for their supporters and relatives from benefits.
By Abisai Amugune
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