Bungoma scholarship students risk dropping out as county lacks cash

Several schools in Bungoma have threatened not to readmit students on county scholarships due to fee arrears. 

Parents have been sent into panic mode as students take their mid-term break.

The Bungoma government is yet to submit school fees for the more than 7,000 Form 1 students enlisted in the programme.

Chief officer for Education and Vocational training Rose Situma said the money available is not enough for the programme.

Situma had sought advise in a letter dated April 18 to the chief officer of Finance.

"The 7,000 students in Form 1 are in addition to the continuing 4,500. About Sh444 million is required yet we have only Sh60 million," the letter read.

The letter said the intention of the correspondence is to seek way forward because pressure is pilling among parents and schools.

The county assembly on the other hand has summoned the Education executive Betty Mayeku at least on three occasions, to address the issue.

Manyeku has however, turned down the summons.

The Budget and Appropriations committee blamed the executive led by Governor Wycliffe Wangamati for the skewed implementation of the county scholarship.

Committee chairperson Jack Wambulwa said it was wrong for the governor to issue scholarships beyond the amount allocated in the budget.

“We only allocated Sh60 million in the budget yet the scholarships issued so far have surpassed and doubled the amount,” he said.

The committee regretted that many beneficiaries of the scholarship could be turned away from their institutions.

“There is no money for the scholarships. They are writing letters to schools saying they will pay.

"However, where will they get the funds from, yet the scholarships issued are way beyond the allocation?” Wambulwa said.

Several parents whose children were enlisted for the scholarship programme expressed fear that their children will not be admitted after half-term.

They said schools were no longer accepting the promissory notes from the Bungoma government.

"Children have been told to ensure they bring the fees when they come from half-term, yet we are being taken in circles by the Bungoma government," Joshua Wafula, a parent said.

He said the county had promised to pay the fees after a week of admission but this has not been forthcoming.

"We were only given letters to take to schools with the county promising to pay the fees ," Wafula said.

A section of parents now fear that the scholarship programme is a political tool during election period.

"When did they discover that they didn't have money? Which government roles out programmes without money. We are now being forced to look for alternative means," Geofrey Wekesa a parent from Kimilili said.

During the Form 1 admission, several schools declined the promissory notes from the county, forcing parents to dig into their pockets.

A school head of an extra county school who sought anonymity for fear of victimisation said it will be very difficult to admit the students without fees.

He said the county has been having problems even paying for the continuing students, some of whom have accrued colossal fee arrears and are in Form 4.

"We are having difficulties handling this issue of county scholarship, because there are students in Form 4 whose fees was only paid once," the school head said.

He said most schools were now constrained and will have no option but not to readmit the students after mid-term break.

Mayeku and Situma did not answer to calls nor reply text messages when conducted about the issue.

(Edited by Bilha Makokha)