Over 500 bright needy pupils from Rangwe Sub-county have benefited from a bursary programme, courtesy of the Kowili clan in Kochia ward.
The Chairman of the clan Kennedy Ogindo said the programme dubbed Kowili Education Recovery was a revolving fund to support education of vulnerable students from the clan.
He said clan members collect money, which is channeled to a bank account and that so far they have already collected over Sh3.32 million.
The funds were disbursed to the beneficiary students including those joining form one all the way to university level.
Secondary school students got a minimum of Sh5000 depending on their vulnerability, while university students got a minimum of Sh10,000.
Ogindo said they started the initiative after realizing that many students were failing to acquire education due to widespread high poverty levels.
“Most children whose parents are unable to afford fees end up dropping out of school but that is not good,” the chairman said.
He said some of them are orphans who have no one to support them, adding, “The high poverty level is a concern that made us start this noble initiative.”
He said the move is aimed at uplifting academic standards which will impact positively on economy of the area.
“There are other scholarships disbursed by the government and partners, but we are
targeting those who fail to benefit from them,” Ogindo said.
The group Secretary Peter Okello emphasized that one of their key criteria is that a student must not be a beneficiary of another scholarship programme.
“We are considering purely needy students,” Okello said.
Kowili Sub-Location Assistant Chief Michael Otieno said the initiative will enable the community to have productive generations in future.
“Education is key in development the society. Anybody who invests in education does the right thing,” Otieno said.
Erick Joachim, one of the professionals from Kowili, said the initiative will fix existing gaps, which hinder the education of children in the area.
By Davis Langat
