Fees of the top ten students in every public day secondary school in Murang’a will be catered for by the county government.
Governor Irungu Kang’ata has announced that his administration will, starting in January next year, begin paying school fees for those who will perform well in their end-term examinations.
The move is aimed at motivating learners in the day secondary schools, where the majority of the students enrolled in the schools are from poor backgrounds.
Speaking when he distributed food to hundreds of residents at Ihura Stadium to mark the festive season, the governor observed some of the students in the day schools are bright but only lack support to join national and extra-county schools.
“We want to ensure the best performers in our day schools get motivated and also pursue their studies without challenges.
“From January next year, the selected students will study for free as their fees will be paid by the county government,” stated Kang’ata.
The governor added that this initiative will challenge students to take education seriously and become competitive at the national level as well.
Kang’ata cited some local day schools which have been producing tenths of students to join universities.
“We have Karega and Mukangu Day Secondary Schools, among others, which in the past years have been producing students with required grades to join universities. This has prompted us to think of the learners in the schools who need to be motivated to compete with those in national and extra-county schools,” he added.
Another bursary and scholarship programmes initiated by the county government, Kang’ata assured they will continue to be issued so as to ensure students from poor families do not miss chances to pursue their studies.
At the same time, Kang’ata underscored the steps his administration has taken to improve health services in the county.
He noted that the county government plans to employ more nurses and build more health facilities in different wards to enhance health-care service delivery in the county.
“By January, we will have reduced congestion in our health facilities. For instance, plans are underway to open the Mukuyu Dispensary and employ new nurses in other new dispensaries across various wards,” he remarked.
Addressing frequent power outages in health facilities caused by unpaid bills, Kang’ata revealed that the county is solarising health centres, adding that the county has started to solarise the facilities to avoid the frequent power outages.
“Kenneth Matiba Hospital has already been solarised, and we plan to install solar panels in other facilities to ensure uninterrupted services,” he stated.
Additionally, he noted that there are plans to solarise street lights to enhance security and mitigate power interruptions, especially in local trading centres and towns.
Meanwhile, the governor asked the locals to celebrate Christmas holidays cautiously, saying some individuals take advantage of the festive season to perpetuate misconduct.
“The county government wishes all the Murang’a residents a happy and peaceful Christmas as I also urge families to protect their children from being lured to engage in criminal activities,” he noted.
During the occasion, the county workers who performed exemplarily were appreciated with gifts and awards, and the departments which excelled in service delivery were recognised.
“The gifts and awards are a way to appreciate and celebrate everyone’s efforts in enhancing the county’s service delivery,” said the governor.
By Bernard Munyao/Anjaliwa
