• He said the county bursary kitty is alive and well, and that the executive shall not bend the law to satisfy the whims of the MCAs.
• The law, he said, is clear on the roles of the MCAs and that none of those laws entails the issuance of bursaries.
Image: Kurgat Marindany
Kajiado county executive for education Jeremiah Ncharo has told off MCAs who are claiming the county has distanced them from the distribution of bursaries.
He said the county bursary kitty is alive and well, and that the executive shall not bend the law to satisfy the whims of the MCAs.
"We are operating within the law as guided by the Kajiado Bursary and Scholarship Act 2016 which directs how the funds should be distributed,” Ncharo said.
“I, therefore, want to state categorically that the county government will not replace existing beneficiaries with names being given by some of the MCAs,” he said.
The CEC was reacting to claims made by the leader of the majority in the county assembly, John Loisa, that the executive is denying MCAs allied to Kenya Kwanza an opportunity to run their bursary kitties.
“This is a clear vendetta perpetuated by Governor Joseph Lenku to punish UDA zones in Kajiado because they never gave him votes,” Loisa said on Sunday.
The MCA claimed the governor has no respect for the MCAs. “He is running this county like a personal property,” Loisa added.
In response, Lenku on Sunday referred Loisa to the county Act that explains how the kitty should be managed.
On Monday afternoon, the county education minister spoke on the matter.
“My attention has been drawn by a cross-section of residents who have come out to castigate the issuance of bursaries by the county government.
“From the onset, let me state that our bursary and scholarship scheme is being administered well and without any hitch as per the laws that govern the kitty,” he explained.
Ncharo said the county bursary kitty has risen from benefitting 3,000 persons in 2017 to more than 10,000 in 2023.
“Among these are 500 beneficiaries who are in full scholarships. This has been a very transformative step in our education system,” Ncharo said.
He said the county government will protect all beneficiaries with complete disregard for politics which is, unfortunately, being introduced by some of the MCAs.
The law, he said, is clear on the roles of the MCAs and that none of those laws entails the issuance of bursaries.
“For the MCAs, it is representation, legislation and oversight. Our bursaries are administered by a committee at the ward level,” the Education CEC affirmed.
He said the Kajiado County Bursary, Grants and Scholarships Fund Act (2016) lists the members of the ward bursary committee.
These are the ward administrator, an education officer, a chief, a youth leader, a women leader, a special needs person, and a religious leader.
The CEC said the law did not anticipate the role of the MCA in bursary issuance.
Ncharo said it would be inhumane to cut off the education support for some children just because a ward has a new MCA.
“We shall not yield to pressure to have the list of those already benefitting altered and replaced by a list generated by the MCAs,” he added.
He urged the complaining MCAs in places like Iloodokilani, Rombo, Dalalekutuk, and Keek-Onyokie to liaise with the office of the ward administrator so that their requests can be handled together with the rest of the applications on a need basis.
While responding to Ncharo’s statement, Loisa said MCAs are the political leaders in their wards and will not stoop low before a ward admin.
“This is Lenku’s style of micromanaging us, the elected leaders. We demand our bursary kitties,” Loisa said.
The leader of the majority in the assembly said they are not ready to work with Lenku, adding that they will boycott the meeting the governor has planned at Maanzoni Lodge in Machakos county.