- The MP has written to the NG-CDF board seeking permission to go above the ceiling to Sh90 million to ensure all applicants benefit.
- The legislator said many parents in the peri-urban constituency cannot pay for their children's education owing to the current harsh economic times.
Image: JOHN KAMAU
Some 40,000 needy students in Ruiru, Kiambu county, are set to receive Sh90 million bursaries from the National Government Constituency Development Fund.
The funds come as a relief to thousands of cash-strapped parents who are struggling to raise school fees after facing tough times occasioned by the harsh economic environment in the country.
Ruiru MP Simon King'ara said that they had allocated Sh80 million for bursaries but it was inadequate due to the high turnout of needy and deserving applicants. Ruiru is the most populous constituency with a population of over 700,000 residents.
Speaking while overseeing the funds application exercise in Githurai on Monday, the MP disclosed that his office had written to the NG-CDF board seeking permission to go above the ceiling to Sh90 million to ensure all applicants benefit.
“We usually receive overwhelming numbers of applicants and we are forced to write to the NG-CDF board to allow us to spend extra funds on bursaries as we try to help all applicants. So far, we have received 40,000 applications and the number might rise,” King’ara said.
He is usually at a crossroads while issuing bursaries due to the high number of applicants from the eight wards of Mwihoko, Mwiki, Kiuu, Gitothua, Biashara, Gatung'ora, Kahawa Sukari and Kahawa Wendani.
The legislator said many parents in the peri-urban constituency cannot pay for their children's education owing to the current harsh economic times, unemployment and high cost of living. He said the NG-CDF kitty has been pivotal in enhancing access to education and realisation of 100 per cent transition.
“The majority of our people live from hand to mouth and can hardly facilitate their children’s education. Our allocation is too little to effectively help all and we would be glad if the government considered increasing it, owing to the high population in Ruiru,” King’ara said.
Bursaries usually take up cash meant for other developments within the education sector, forcing his office to devise other means of actualising the projects including partnering with corporates.
The partnerships have borne fruit as more than 50 classrooms have been built in primary and secondary schools within the constituency, the MP said.
Parents whose children benefited from the funds pleaded for increment so as to benefit the huge student population in the region.
“There are no stable jobs and the current business environment is hard-hitting. We can only raise money for food and shelter. We usually rely on the bursaries for continuity of our children’s education,” said resident Anne Waithera.
They called on the government to address inequalities in allocation of national resources especially to highly-populated areas like Ruiru.
The applicants have been receiving between Sh3,000 and Sh7,000, which the parents termed as meagre compared to other sparsely-populated constituencies that issue hefty bursaries.
“It’s high time the government addressed these concerns because there’s no way a constituency with a population of 15,000 people can be given the same allocation as Ruiru. This is why while we receive meagre bursaries while learners in those other areas even receive full scholarships,” resident Eliud Njeru said.
They suggested that the constituency be split to facilitate allocation of more resources or the government increases the NG-CDF.