West Pokot County Governor Set to Launch Kshs 600 Million Bursaries
By Emmanuel Oyasi
West Pokot county governor, Simon Kachapin, has given assurance to parents and teachers that all plans for the launch of bursaries have been completed and is set for Monday 26th February.
In a statement to newsroom, Kachapin said his government has allocated Kshs 600 million for bursaries, which he says is the highest in the country, with the aim of ensuring that his government prioritizes education.
Meanwhile the County boss also said West Pokot County has been left behind in terms of development for many years.
He further added that especially in the education sector, with many pupils missing the opportunity to attend classes due to the drought, which forces their parents to migrate in search for water and pasture.
“A large part of West Pokot is an arid area and many parents are forced to migrate in search for water and pastures for their livestock, making their children miss the opportunity to attend classes. This is why we have allocated a large amount of money to bursaries for students to remain in school,” said Kachapin.
In addition, governor Kachapin said his goal is to ensure that education becomes free for all students in West Pokot county, to ensure that there is no student who misses out on education due to lack of school fee.
Likewise, Kachapin has promised to organize a meeting with head teachers, stressing that the funds provided by the central government to the education sector as well as the county government are sufficient to run school activities.
“Our goal is to reach a place where education will be free for every student in this county. I will hold a meeting with the principals so that we can make sure that no student is sent home to collect school fee,” he said.
The bursary launch was expected to be held on Friday 23rd , but it had to be postponed until on Monday 26th February following the funeral ceremony of the world cross-country champion, the late Kelvin Kiptum, which is scheduled for Friday.