500 needy students in California receive bursaries worth Sh2.5m

On Saturday, five hundred needy students from Eastleigh's California Ward received bursaries totalling Sh 2.5 million. California Member of County Assembly (MCA) Hashim Kamau presented the bursary cheques at the Ajira Centre.

This is the second batch of bursaries distributed this year, to cover tuition costs as the school year begins next week.

Every term, the California Ward provides Sh2.5 million in bursaries to 500 students, totalling Sh7.5 million annually, with funds distributed across the three school terms. The bursaries serve as a critical support system for families in the ward, where many face economic hardships and struggle to pay school fees.

The distribution of the bursaries this term was delayed due to a shortfall in funds from the county government. Hashim Kamau acknowledged the delay, attributing it to issues in fund disbursement from the National Government.

"We had a problem with fund disbursement from the National Government, that's why the cheques were delayed, but now that we have the money, we are giving them out," said Hashim.

The MCA also addressed potential changes to the future of these bursaries. He referred to Friday's letter from National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula to the Ministry of Education. The letter directed the Ministry to consider formulating laws to consolidate all bursaries and public scholarships into one fund.

Wetangula noted that there are layers of duplication in the award of bursaries from various sources, including the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), counties, and the Ministry of Education, leading to inconsistencies.

"It's being said these kinds of bursaries should stop, and all bursaries should be consolidated, so I don't know if this is the last bursary I am giving out," Hashim said, reflecting on the possible changes.

California is home to several slums including Kinyago and Kanuku but according to Hashim it doesn't matter where the people live, most voters here he said are needy and deserve the funds.

The Chairman of the Bursary Committee in California, Hamisi Mohamed, stated that registration for the next term's bursary distribution has already begun. He mentioned that most families submitted their forms last week, and another group of 500 students will receive bursaries soon.

"Forms for the next term were filled last week, and very soon we shall be giving another bursary to another 500 people," Hamisi said.

Families who received the bursaries today expressed relief and gratitude, noting that the financial support would help them cover significant gaps in their ability to pay school fees.

Juliah Warau, one of the parents who came to collect a cheque for her son, shared that the bursary would prevent her son from dropping out of school.

"This bursary was my only hope, and I thought we would never get it. I was really worried that my son would drop out, not anymore," she said.

Another parent, Johnson Masaba, who collected the cheque for his daughter, noted that the bursary would ease his financial burden.

"Life is hard nowadays, and most people are struggling. These bursaries are our only hope to educate our children," he said.

The bursaries continue to play a vital role in ensuring that children in California Ward have access to education, despite the financial challenges faced by their families.