An unfair policy in the Lamu county bursary and scholarship programme has prompted a public outcry.
The programme has been locking out needy but bright students. It denies bursaries and scholarships to candidates who were not born in Lamu despite sitting their exams in the county.
It also locks out children born in Lamu but schooled outside counties. Parents and educationists have termed it discriminative.
This year, the county set aside Sh250 million towards the programme and promised to fully sponsor secondary school education for all needy learners who score 300 marks and above in the KCPE exam.
Some deserving cases have not benefitted amid revelations that the fund has been invaded by students from rich families who benefit at the expense of their needy counterparts.
The majority of those affected have not been able to join Form 1 for lack of finances. Parents have reported having their children’s names struck off the list of beneficiaries by virtue of their birth certificates not recording Lamu as the county of birth.
The matter is set for review by the county assembly to ensure all eligible candidates benefit from the fund irrespective of where they were born or sat their exams.
“If they were born in Lamu, they deserve the scholarships even if they sat their exams in Central of Western Kenya. If they sat their exams in Lamu, they deserve the scholarships even if they come from Kitui or Marsabit. We must agree that Lamu is now cosmopolitan and all these people belong here,” Majority leader Abdalla Baabad said.
Baabad plans to table a motion early next week to have the current policy amended. He said any gaps allowing students from well-off families to benefit from the programme will also be sealed.
Students from terror-prone areas in Lamu will also be admitted into the programme as long as they score 250 marks and above in KCPE.
“There have been a number of complaints about the gaps in the current law which we now intend to review,” he said.
Some MCAs however hold a different opinion on the review of the policy saying the current programme is overstretched.
Hongwe MCA James Komu said adjusting the policy would mean more students benefit from an already overstretched fund.
“We fear this could lead to exploitation too as it opens doors for people who are not from Lamu to benefit at the expense of the genuine needy students,” Komu said.
Lamu Education Executive Paul Thairu dismissed the claims that the current policy was discriminatory and stated that all students who sit their national exams in the county will benefit from the programme, their counties of birth notwithstanding.
“As long as you sit your exams here and score 300 plus and you are needy, you are eligible for the four-year scholarship. It does not matter which county you were born in. We are only unable to help those who sit their exams outside Lamu," Thairu said.
A total of 733 learners scored 300 marks and above in Lamu. Thairu said each will receive Sh53,535 annually under the programme.
Those who didn’t qualify for the programme have been advised to apply for normal county bursaries.
-Edited by SKanyara
