Kisii Governor, Simba Arati on Friday officiated the launch and disbursement of the County Bursary Fund totaling Sh. 145 million to selected beneficiaries in the 45 wards within the county.
Speaking at Gusii Stadium during the launch, Arati reported that for the last four years, the county had no bursary fund since the money that was meant for bursary had allegedly been diverted to other uses by the previous administration.
The Governor lauded the Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) for ensuring that funds were availed for the bursary through its inclusion in the Supplementary Budget for the 2022/2023 financial year.
The county boss said the bursary was meant to support needy students adding that education is a worthy equalizer that enables even the poor of the poor to scale the socio-economic, political, and even the leadership ladder.
He recognized the efforts of the county officials including the Deputy Governor, CECMs and Chief Officers, which saw a number of children who had been stranded due to financial challenges, join form one through the leaders’ personal donations.
Arati said that each ward had been allocated Sh. 3 million and the execution of the funds was conducted transparently with the support of the MCAs adding that his administration will allocate Sh. 5 million in subsequent budgets.
In addition, the Governor noted that he led the distribution of the bursary forms in all the wards while working jointly with the National Government Administration officials in a deliberate effort to instill good order and transparency.
Further, he said that his administration will be sending the money directly to the respective school fees accounts for the 1250 benefiting schools in order to deter any form of mischief and fraud with regard to the disbursement of the funds.
“I challenge the benefiting students to work diligently and post impressive academic performance as this is the only way that we can realize value for the bursary programme,” the County Boss said.
In a bid to improve the education sector in the county, Arati noted they are seeking to absorb the Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers on permanent terms, modernize the ECDE centers as well as revamp the Vocational Training Centres in order for learners to access quality education.
By Mercy Osongo
