Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has launched the distribution of bursaries worth Sh125.6 million to needy secondary school, college and university students in the county.
The event took place in Mwea East Sub County where she disbursed cheques for Tebere and Nyangati wards. The governor said that the funds will benefit 42,527 students who were identified after a vetting process by the Ward Bursary Committees.
Out of these beneficiaries are 32,397 secondary school students, 5,388 university students and 4,742 students from tertiary institutions.
The bursaries are aimed at enabling children from poor backgrounds to remain in school after enrolment adding that all beneficiaries from all the wards will be receiving their money to ensure that they are not sent away from school.
“We remain committed to supporting the education of the children in the county, the improvement of academic performance and ultimately, the lives of the youth in the county” she said, “The future of our country depends on the children,” she added.
Waiguru noted that the bursaries will go a long way in lessening the burden of school fees on parents, many of who are facing Covid-19 related hardships.
This year’s disbursement is the largest compared to the previous years’ where slightly above Sh 200 million was collectively disbursed.
At the same time Governor Waiguru has urged the county residents to maintain peace during the upcoming Mashujaa Day Celebrations set to be held at Wang’uru stadium in Mwea.
She also appealed to them to register as voters, decrying the low turn-out in the ongoing registration exercise being conducted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
“Lets go and register as voters, our county is among those with low turnout,” she urged.
By Mutai Kipngetich
