Garissa Woman Representative Anab Gure has promised to prioritise the education sector.
She quoted Nelson Mandela as saying, “Education is the most powerful weapn which you can use to change the world.”
Gure spoke on Monday during launch of the annual bursary kitty of the National Government Affirmative Action Fund at Saka Girls’ Secondary School.
Of the many ways to fight poverty and ignorance, education is vital, she said. “I will be there for all of you as we aspire to give every child from Garissa a decent education without any worry of fees,” she said.
The kitty will pay fees for students from both high schools and colleges countrywide.
She said this will lessen the burden on parents to pay fees. “I promised to give a chance to the children of the poor,”Gure said.
She urged parents whose children have attained schoolgoing age to enrol them in ECD schools “so we fight the disease of poverty and ignorance”.
The region has lagged behind since Independence but the future seems brighter with promising students who have raised the bar, she said.
The woman representative said more schools with well-trained teachers have made local schools record better grades.
“We must rise up and compete with the rest of the nation in educating our children,” the MP said.
In May last year, Gure launched a Sh6.7 million bursary kitty paying fees for 784 students from high schools and colleges. It has increased to Sh10.8 million this year.
On the controversy surrounding the hijab, she said Muslims across the county “will not negotiate with anybody on whether to allow our girls to wear hijab or not”.
“Hijab is mandatory in Islam. Over 14 centuries ago, Islam made it compulsory for women to cover their bodies against exposure to the outside world. Kenya is a sovereign country which upholds all faiths in high esteem. We will jointly advocate against the ruling,”she said.