Wavinya targets Sh200 million bursary fund to meet soaring demand

Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti has announced plans to expand the county’s education bursary fund from the current Sh120 million to Sh200 million in future allocations, in response to rising demand from needy learners.

Speaking at Ivumbuni Primary School in Mumbuni North Ward, Machakos Town constituency, where she launched the Sh120 million bursary disbursement for the 2024/25 Financial Year, the governor underscored the importance of increasing the allocation to support more students across the county.

“We have launched Sh120 million worth of education bursaries that will benefit a total of 28,620 students drawn from all 40 Wards. We are now working to increase that allocation to Sh200 million to meet the growing demand among our youth,” she said.

Wavinya noted that her administration has consistently increased the bursary allocation since 2022, with over 92,500 students benefiting from the fund so far.

In 2023, the county introduced a fully funded secondary school scholarship programme, supporting 40 students from disadvantaged backgrounds in each ward with 100 per cent scholarships.

“Education bursaries are critical enablers of learning. Through the enhanced programme, nearly 100,000 students have been able to complete their studies. This is a huge transformation for our community,” the governor stated.

She further praised the recently signed Inter-Governmental Agreements (IGAs) between counties and the national government, which she said have eased the management of education bursaries for secondary and university students.

“The MoU between counties and the Ministry of Education has unlocked legal hurdles that previously limited counties from using their revenue for education support. I commend the Ministry for initiating the Inter-Governmental Partnership Agreements (IPAs),” she said.

Accompanied by her deputy Francis Mwangangi and County Education Executive Consolata Mutisya, Wavinya also reaffirmed her administration’s commitment to youth empowerment.

She said the county will scale up its Youth Empowerment Programme launched last year, which enrolled 1,000 young people in vocational training centres for various technical courses.

“An impressive 99 per cent of the trainees passed their National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) exams and will soon graduate and receive toolkits to support their transition into the job market. This year, we aim to enroll 1,500 youths,” she added.