In order to
meet the cost of acquiring educations, pupils and students from low income and
middle income backgrounds require financial assistance. The assistance that is
extended to such pupils and students has long-lasting impacts not only on their
life but also on the entire financial status of their homes and villages.
More than
Kshs. 1 billion has been set aside for the provision of county bursaries and
scholarships 2015/2016 fiscal year. Some counties have set aside almost a
quarter of a billion towards provision of education aid to its residents. One such
county is Kiambu County.
We are
going to look at the status of bursary and scholarship allocations in different
counties.
A total of
Kshs. 100 million has been set aside for the Kiambu county scholarship fund
in the 2015/2016 budget. Another Kshs. 150 million has been set aside for the bursary
fund. Therefore, in total, Kiambu County has set aside Kshs. 250 million
for provision of financial aid of students and pupils from the county. in
tandem with the increasing number of students and pupils who will require
financial assistance in future, the county is projecting to increase the
bursary fund to Kshs. 107million.
In Mandera
County, Kshs. 208 has been set aside for sponsorship of pupils and students. In
the previous financial year, Kshs. 117 million had been set aside.
In Nakuru
county, Kshs. 165 million has been allocated to bursary kitty in the 2015/2016
budget. The county is projecting to increase the allocation to Kshs. 182
million in the 2016/2017 financial year.
Fig: County Bursary Allocation. (Click to Enlarge)
Kshs 120,000,000
has been set aside in Migori to provide financial sponsorship in the form of
bursaries at the ward level in this financial year.
In Tana River County, Kshs. 75 million has been set aside. Since the establishment of the devolved system of government, 4,200 secondary students from Tana River have been sponsored. The number will surely increase in this new financial year.
What is required of you?
In all counties offering sponsorship, a bursary application form has to be filled. The application form
normally has several entries to be filled. These entries cannot be filled
within a day or two or even a week. So look for the forms and start working on
them. In most cases, the endorsement of the head teacher or the head of
department and an area chief are usually required. In some cases, your academic
record is required if the award is merit based.
