• Sh165 million cheques were given to 23,330 recipients in secondary, tertiary schools
• The governor delivered the cheques at the doorsteps of the recipients
Image: BY MATHEWS NDANYI
The Uasin Gishu government has completed delivering bursary cheques to needy students in all its 30 wards.
Governor Jonathan Bii delivered the cheques at the doorsteps of the recipients.
“This exercise has helped us as a county to meet the community members directly and also understand other issues affecting their lives,” he said while disbursing the bursaries.
The governor distributed Sh165 million cheques to 23,330 recipients, including students in secondary schools and tertiary institutions.
He crisscrossed all 30 wards in three weeks for the distribution.
The amount given out by the county this year was an increase from Sh119 million allocated last year.
“Going forward, because of the needs I have seen, we will work to increase the allocation for bursaries to more than Sh200 million so that more needy children can benefit,” Bii said.
The governor involved local leaders like MCAs and community leaders in identifying the beneficiaries.
The county boss, popularly known as Koti Moja, said his administration will sustain the distribution of free milk to all ECD units as part of his commitment to supporting the education and health of young children.
The free milk programme has led to increased enrolment to the ECD units by more than 30 per cent in the last year.
Bii said he will allocate Sh1 million to every ward as bursaries for needy students to enrol to Vocational Training Centres (VTCs).
The funds, Sh30 million in total, will go towards sponsoring students to study technical skills in the 13 county-run VTCs and centres of excellence across the six subcounties.
Bii said inadequate school fees would no longer be an excuse for a lack of training on skills and the exploitation of talents that would lead to self-employment.
The governor said his administration is keen to ensure that it channels resources into supporting the VTCs.
He said TVET is one of the most successful programmes impacting the youth by providing solutions to problems through innovation.
He called upon the youth to embrace training at the TVETS.
Education executive Anthony Sitienei said, "Let parents enrol their children to learn important skills and take advantage of the available bursaries so that we can grow our county."
He also called upon students to enrol in VTCs in the upcoming intake in the month of May.
In Kuinet/Kapsuswo ward, 633 students benefited from Sh5 million bursary, while another Sh5 million will benefit 829 needy learners in Kiplombe ward.
Huruma ward has an allocation of Sh5 million, which will benefit 914 students.