My Plea to Gov.Wavinya Ndeti,
I humbly request you, your Excellency, to raise the bursary allocation from Kes. 120 million to Kes. 800 million per year.
This is because some poor counties in North Eastern and other marginalised areas are doing the same because they want to genuinely empower the next generation with quality education.
In my ward -Kangundo East there are 7 sub-locations. I have heard that during the first phase, each ward will share Kes 1.5 million. If this is true, and I believe it to be, this sum will be shared by my 7 sub-locations. It means each of them will get Kes. 214,285.
Madam governor, my sub-location has 9 villages. When this amount of Kes 214,285 is shared equally my village will get only Kes. 23,809. Can this paltry sum make any difference? Don't you want more young people delivered from the poverty trap by empowering them through education?
Your Excellency, your government has set a minimum of Kes 7,000 to be awarded to college and boarding schools' students while Kes 3,000 is the minimum for day school students.
Going by this criteria, Madam governor, the Kes. 23,809 for my village will just be enough to be awarded to just 1 college student getting Kes.7,000,1 boarding secondary school student getting another Kes7,000 while 3 day secondary school students will scramble for the remainder of Kes 9,000.
This number of beneficiaries is just too little as it is shameful, considering the scope of want among worrying numbers of needy students in tertiary institutions and secondary schools.
Their parents will probably be at the Chiefs' offices the whole day waiting for bursaries that their children will never get! I guess you know this more than anyone else; don't you see that they will feel not only cheated but also badly wasted?
Madam governor, the previous administration was allocating the same same amount and this policy made it quite unpopular.
Yet, during the campaigns, you promised to enhance the bursary kitty to correct the mess and benefit more needy students. What may have happened for you to change your mind?
I look upon you to address this issue with the urgency it deserves.The power to do this is in your hands. Machakos people bestowed it upon you.
Yours Sincerely,
Shah Kitusa,
Youth and Community Mobilizer,
Kangundo.
