The Kenya Post-Primary Teachers (KUPPET)Trans Nzoia branch has called upon Members of Parliament (MPs) to streamline distribution guidelines of the bursaries to help needy but bright students instead of voters.
Kuppet Trans Nzoia branch chairman Eliud Wafula said that the principals of schools have records of the payment of fees of the defaulting students but are not involved in the issuance of the bursaries rather than receiving the cheques.
In some instances, Wafula says, the principals have received bursaries for students with nil balances and finds it difficult to transfer the money to the needy cases.
“How are these undeserving students allocated the money?” he asked.
Wafula in a statement issued in Kitale said the MPs should also consider issuing adequate bursaries to contain the students in school to clear their studies instead giving out meagre money for the beneficiaries to send away from school for lack of fees.
“What is the point of giving bursaries to many students who abandon school mid-way?” he asked and exhorted that the MPs should guard against the tendency where their aides follow up school principals demanding for a 20% cut from the bursaries issued.
A source at the Saboti NG-CDF refuted the 20% demand cut and there was only one incident of such nature and which was stopped and action taken against the concern.
This concerns after various students who are not voters within the region were denied bursaries, but given those with nil fee balances only because they were voters within the county.
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For instance, James Wafula from a vulnerable family selected St Anthony’s Boys Secondary School in Kitale for his Grade 10 admission next year and is worried that the family would not be able to raise fees once the school opens for the 2026 academic season and finds himself of the chosen team of students.
However, what Wafula, not his real name, and his family are sure of is the capitation fees provided by the Ministry of Education MoE and probably support from family friends and other well wishers. He wishes that as the pioneer of the CBE he clears his studies without disruptions of lack of school fees.
And because Wafula’s father and mother are both not registered voters in one of the five constituencies in Trans Nzoia county, the family will not be able to be recognized for bursaries from the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF). Main reason : they are of no political value.
This also applies to the Elimu Bursary Fund administered by the county government which lays emphasis on assisting students pursue education but after proving their locality within the county. According to Governor George Natembeya who is the patron of the Fund, the rules can however, be relaxed to meet more students whose needs are acute and dire.
But for Mary Cherop whose both parents are registered voters in Saboti constituency and destined to also join the Grade 10 next year, she will be lucky to benefit twice since each parent will be accorded bursary after confirmation from the voters’ register.
In Saboti, the application of the NG-CDF is carried out all the polling stations in the area after which the application forms are taken to the management of schools and the provincial administration officials for approval, which sometimes is mere rubber-stamping.
Some Chiefs and their assistants have declined to approve the applications for various reasons ranging to personal, societal to political.
Wafula’s parents registered as voters in Lugari, Kakamega county, before moving to Trans Nzoia county seeking for settlement and are forced either to transfer their voting base to Lugari if they ever think of accessing the NG-CDF bursaries.
Like in Saboti, the cases are relatively similar in other constituencies of Endebess, Cherangany, Kiminini and Kwanza where the administrators give as little as Ksh 3000 – 5000 per annum.
By Abisai Amugune
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