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Governor Kimani Wamatangi of Kiambu has boosted the county’s yearly bursary fund from KSh 100 million to KSh 750 million.
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For the 2024/2025 financial year, the allocation is set at KSh 500 million, with an extra KSh 250 million scheduled for the subsequent fiscal period.
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The additional funding aims to guarantee that more students get scholarships, with each recipient receiving up to KSh 10,000.
The LIFEHACK.co.ke correspondent Ivan Mboto boasts more than three years of expertise in covering political events and contemporary issues within Kenya.
Families and pupils in Kiambu County now have something to rejoice about after the county significantly raised its yearly bursary funds.
Governor Kimani Wamatangi has revealed a significant boost in educational funding, increasing the yearly scholarship budget from KSh 100 million to an impressive KSh 750 million for the next fiscal year.
This action will advantage numerous pupils throughout the county, guaranteeing they obtain the essential monetary aid to continue their studies uninterrupted.
In what ways has Wamatangi augmented scholarship money in Kiambu?
Upon assuming office, Wamatangi inherited a situation where the county allocated merely KSh 100 million annually for bursaries. Over ten years prior, the cumulative amount distributed by the preceding three governors amounted to KSh 1 billion among deserving students, resulting in each beneficiary receiving an average of just KSh 1,500 during this period.
Acknowledging the urgent requirement for enhanced assistance, Wamatangi promptly escalated the funding levels. In 2023, he augmented the scholarship fund to KSh 300 million annually. Continuing this advancement, the budget for the fiscal year 2024/2025 was expanded even more, reaching KSh 500 million.
To simplify the application procedure and guarantee fair allocation, Wamatangi has disseminated bursary request forms to the bursary committees across all 60 districts of Kiambu.
“Today, we’ve handed out bursary application forms to the committees in all 60 wards to support applications for a Ksh100 million scholarship fund that will be released during the second term,” stated Wamatangi.
These committees will supervise the handling of applications for a KSh 100 million scholarship program, which will be distributed during the second term of the academic year.
As part of the KSh 500 million set aside for grants during the 2024/2025 fiscal period, each ward will receive KSh 8.3 million for scholarships.
Wamatangi also disclosed intentions to boost the bursary allotment even more during the upcoming fiscal year, beginning in June 2025. The county aims to elevate the overall bursary amount to KSh 750 million, guaranteeing that additional students receive financial support.
Out of this total sum, KSh 500 million will be evenly allocated to each of the 60 wards, with an extra KSh 250 million set aside for a consolidation fund. The purpose of this additional funding pool is to offer supplementary financial assistance specifically to those highly populous wards, thereby mitigating the differences in pupil counts throughout various parts of the county.
This additional funding will boost the amounts received by each recipient, which will range from KSh 5,000 to KSh 10,000 for educational expenses.
This decision has garnered broad acclaim from parents, pupils, and educational stakeholders, numerous individuals who have praised the governor’s dedication to bolstering education support.
The court restores the new financing system.
As reported elsewhere, the Court of Appeal has stayed the High Court’s decision which found the new university financing plan to be unconstitutional, thereby permitting its ongoing execution.
The directive required the Attorney General, HELB, and KUCCPS to inform all universities, colleges, and students regarding this policy within two weeks’ time.
The case was initiated due to worries that the model transfers expenses to parents; however, the appeals court’s verdict maintains its status quo pending a conclusive judgment.
