A light of hope has dawned for more than forty thousand High School and College students from Bungoma County after the County government finally released the bursary fund cheques to cater for their school fees. Addressing stakeholders during the release of the kitty, Bungoma County Governor Wycliffe Wangamati lauded the Bungoma County Assembly for passing the supplementary budget, saying it made it possible to avail the funds.
He disclosed that more than forty thousand students will benefit after the vetting process was carried out, which translates to 800 to 1000 students per ward saying it is a high milestone they have achieved. He added that the fund was upgraded from Kshs 180 million to 400 million saying in future they will increase the allocation further in order to ensure that no student misses classes due to lack of school fees.
The Governor further revealed that the County government has received a grant from a well-wisher of Kshs 70 million, saying it will be channelled to youth polytechnics and called upon MCAs to consider an alternative for the 30 percent they had proposed to be set aside for polytechnics from the bursary kitty. Education CEC Richard Sabwami Keya said they have released 70 percent of the Kshs 400 million bursary kitty and the remainder will be released soon and thanked the bursary committees together with other stakeholders for playing their role.
He applauded the school principals for heeding their plea and not sending students home as they waited for the delivery of funds. County Assembly Majority Leader Florence Fulano Wekesa said abandoning the Ifmis to deliver the money using cheques was a plus to the County government saying it was hard for them to explain to the electorate how the system works. Deputy Speaker Simiyu Wamusai said as Members of the County Assembly they will not relent in executing their mandate but will support the Governor’s development programs.
