Governor Abdullahi calls for public disclosure of bursary beneficiaries to curb double allocation

Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi with his deputy Ahmed Muhumed./STEPHEN ASTARIKO

Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi has called for greater transparency in the allocation of bursaries across the country, saying it is time for the lists of all beneficiaries to be made public to prevent duplication and ensure fairness.

Speaking in Wajir town on Tuesday, Abdullahi, who also chairs the Council of Governors (CoG), said that publicizing the names of students who receive bursaries from various sources would promote equity, accountability, and efficiency in how funds are distributed.

“There is so much money that is paid by CDF and the county governments. There is also capitation from the national government. But a lot of the kids still don’t get help,” he said.

“I think it is time we make public who is benefiting, so that we are not paying more than is needed for one child while another is being chased out of school.”

Abdullahi noted that Wajir County alone has over Sh400 million circulating in bursary allocations from both constituency and county schemes, yet some students still miss out on school due to lack of fees.

“With this level of funding, there is no reason why any child in Wajir should be out of school for lack of fees,” he said.

The governor pledged that counties would take the lead by disclosing the full list of beneficiaries for bursaries issued at the county level.

“Sometimes allocations are made, but what is said is not what is actually paid,” he noted. “We should have a mechanism to disclose. I want us, as a county, to start by making that information public.”

His remarks come amid growing public concern over the lack of transparency in bursary disbursement, with many Kenyans questioning how funds are allocated and who benefits.

Mohamed Hussein, a retired education officer in Wajir, supported the governor’s call, saying opaque processes have led to deserving students missing out while others receive multiple bursaries—often aided by favoritism or political connections.

“This opaqueness has led to widespread reports of deserving and needy students missing out on this vital financial support, while others receive multiple bursaries, often through favoritism or political connections,” he said.

Governor Abdullahi was speaking shortly after launching this year’s Sh130 million Wajir County bursary programme. A total of 33,150 students applied, with 22,670 awarded bursaries following what he described as a merit-based, transparent selection process.

The bursary disbursement had been delayed due to a standoff between the Council of Governors and the Office of the Controller of Budget (CoB), which disrupted the education of thousands of students across the country.

At the height of the disagreement, the CoG even threatened to seek the removal of Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o through Parliament.

The impasse was eventually resolved through a memorandum of understanding between county governments and the national government, allowing funds to be released.

Governor Abdullahi also urged parents to continue investing in their children’s education, saying it is key to building a brighter future for families and the country.

Reflecting on Wajir’s progress in education, he noted that the county has grown from having only one secondary school in 1965 to now boasting 81 public secondary schools and 354 public primary schools.