No bursary if you didn't vote in 2022 elections - Governor Arati

Kisii Governor Simba Arati on Wednesday ruled out giving education bursaries to the residents who did not vote in the last General elections.

His administration, stated Arati, would only give priority to those who rose up to make a decision on who would govern them.

"We must be deliberate in all that we do from electing leaders to seeking benefits when they get to the office, if you did not vote be ready to forgo these bursaries.

The County had set Sh3 m for each of the 42 Wards as bursaries.

The MCAs were asked to use the Independent Boundaries and Electoral Commission, Iebc, register to lock out those who did not vote from accruing benefits as bursaries.

The County bursary would cater for high school students only.

College and University students would be partly funded by the Constituency Development Fund.

Arati who spoke in Masimba in Masaba South during the inspection of bursary disbursements by the MCAs, further told those residents early poached to cast votes in areas outside their areas of residence to go and apply for the bursaries from those they elected there.

The residents turned in thousands across the Wards overwhelming the few application forms made available.

There were complaints forcing the Ward Reps to petition for additional allocations.

The push for a scale-up was made by Bouse Maurura (Masimba) and Wycliffe Siocha (Ichuni) who proposed an annual Ward bursary allocation of Sh10 m in future disbursements.

"With this staggering interest, it means we must go to the drawing board and add more even if it means doing a reallocation," said Siocha at Ekerubo where he oversaw the bursary applications.

Mairura said the Sh3 m per ward was still a drop in the ocean against the surge in the applications.

Governor Arati said the high turnout was indicative of the growing need to invest more in education.

He said he had instructed the Ward Reps to give priority to orphans, single parents and other vulnerable segments.

The County allocated a total of Sh126 million across all the wards in the 2022 /2023 fiscal year.

Arati said the subsequent allocations would need to be scaled up.

He said he is mulling increasing it to Sh5 million and later Sh10 m.

The visited Ibeno, Gesusu, Nyamasibi and later others in Kitutu Chache South and Kitutu Chache North during the round tour of inspections.

At Nyamasibi he was joined by Christopher Onsaga and Anthony Kerage in Gesusu

At Ibeno he was hosted by Steve Atika.