Atleast 32, 000 students are set to benefit as Homa Bay County disburses school bursaries.
Governor Gladys Wanga on Thursday launched the distribution of the bursary cheques which amounted to Sh215 million at Rariw Chief’s camp in Rangwe constituency.
Among the students, 32,000 will benefit from the general bursary in which the least amount allocated to a student is Sh5,000.
To support education, the Wanga-led administration is also running two full scholarship programmes dubbed Fins to Swim for secondary school students and Genowa Fundi Mang’ula Scholarship for supporting students who are joining VTCs.
600 students will benefit from Fundi Mang’ula while 240 students will benefit from Fins to Swim which will get Sh 55 million.
This is part of the Sh215 million bursary
Governor Wanga said they have put proper modalities to ensure only needy students were listed and picked as the beneficiaries.
“The village clusters we formed helped us to select the students who are benefiting based on their vulnerability of them. The students met the criteria of vulnerability levels we were looking for,” she said.
She vowed that her administration is committed to investing in educating Homa Bay children to enable them to become productive people in society .
Wanga also pledged to support the financially challenged students and parents.
The governor inistsed that said her administration is prioritizing education to enable the county to have productive people who will be future leaders.
Beneficiaries were urged to work hard in academics to enhance realization of funds being invested in them.
“Today, many parents are unable to buy the desirable clothing because they are supporting the education of their children. I urge the students not to disappoint parents and the county government,” Wanga said.
The Governor was accompanied by her Deputy Oyugi Magwanga, county executive members Martin Opere( Education), Dannish Onyango(Roads )and Solomon Obiero (Finance) of which they boasted to have increased bursary allocation to a 4 million per ward from sh2.5million last year.
Deputy Governor Magwanga encouraged students to uphold the highest standards of discipline for academic success.
He emphasized the importance of avoiding disrespectful behavior towards teachers, refrain from school property destruction, and understand that discipline is a crucial factor in achieving success.
Magwanga highlighted that the government is investing in students to empower them for the transformation of the county and the nation.
Kochia MCA Michael Nyang’i expressed optimism regarding the impact of the bursaries, anticipating that it will assist many parents in providing education for their children.
Nyang’i commended the community's support in offering bursaries to the children of fellow parents perceived to be in greater need, considering it a valuable contribution.
