The Equity Bank’s Kerugoya branch has assured bright students from poor families in Kirinyaga County of its continued financial support throughout their secondary and University education.
The Branch Manager, Simon Kanyingi said it was impossible to assist all 100 needy students who had applied for assistance as only 16 slots were available for Kirinyaga Central and Kirinyaga East Sub Counties.
Kanyingi however, said though the bank was catering for the needs of the students, parents and guardians of such children should not abdicate their parental roles.
“Parents and guardians should not run away from their obligations as much as we understand their plight and we should at least see their commitments towards the cause,” Kanyingi said.
The official was speaking in Kerugoya town on Thursday when he flagged off a vehicle transporting 16 such beneficiaries of the programme to Nairobi for the commissioning of the programme.
The 16 beneficiaries will be joining other pupils from across the country who have also benefited from the programme.
Kanyingi said this year the applicants from the county was 250, yet only 32 were considered and urged other well-wishers to step in and assist the increasing number of needy children in the society.
He said students who scored over 350 marks during last year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education, (KCPE), qualified for the programme but only if from very poor and vulnerable families.
Kanyingi said under the programme, the bank other than paying all the school fees, will also provide the students with transport, text books and a small stipend for general upkeep during secondary and the University for those who make it.
By Irungu Mwangi
