End of bursaries nigh as Wetangula seeks new law to manage kitties

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula. [File, Standard]

The end of bursaries, as we know them today, has started, and free university and college education is beckoning.

On Friday, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula penned what could be the epitaph on the tombstone of the many bursaries and scholarships when he directed the Clerk of the National Assembly to formulate a new statute.

The new law envisaged by Wetang'ula will amalgamate all bursaries and funds supporting needy students, quickly gaining traction.

His action came hot on the heels of sustained calls for a review of the new but controversial University funding model.

Consequently, the fate of kitties such as the National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), HELB loans, NGAAF bursaries, County Governments bursaries and the Universities Fund now hangs in the balance as leaders amplify their calls for a decisive way of arresting the funding crisis in the education sector.

In furtherance of this cause, Wetangula has now asked the Ministry of Education to submit input for proposed legislation on a consolidated approach to bursary allocations.

According to a letter by office of the Clerk of the National Assembly and addressed to the Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang, the House is seeking the ministry's input into the legislative proposal which if enacted into law will dictate how public bursaries and scholarships will be distributed to needy students.

“The Speaker of the National Assembly has instructed the office of the Clerk to formulate a legislative proposal establishing a defined structure for the administration of public bursaries and scholarships. This is to therefore request that you furnish us with any relevant information in possession of the Ministry that may assist in drafting the legislative proposal, including any existing policy document or Draft Bill,” reads the letter signed by Clerk of the National Assembly Samuel Njoroge.

Njoroge also noted that the resolution was arrived at after a petition calling for the consolidation of all bursary and scholarship programmes was received by parliament.

“…We have received a petition which notes that the current uncoordinated approach towards the issuance of bursaries and scholarships from public funds by the Ministry of Education, the National Government Constituencies Development Fund, and County governments has, in some instances, led to a duplication of awards,” reads the letter.

The move is seen as a shot in the arm in efforts by a section of the members of Parliament and education stakeholders to make tertiary education free. Their action emanates from reports inaccuracies of the hurriedly- implemented new funding model that has since seen students wrongly classified in their eligibility for funding while others have missed out on University admissions due to lack of funding. 

Under the new university education funding model, families with a monthly income of up to Sh5,995 are placed in band 1, with those with income of up to Sh23,670 in band 2. Those with income of up to Sh70,000 are in band 3, up to Sh120,000 in band 4 and those with income above Sh120,000 in band 5.

The Ministry’s reliance on the Means Testing Instrument (MTI) under the new model has however seen students wrongly banded with those coming from humble backgrounds unable to meet the fees requirements in their designated bands.

Earlier this week, Speaker Wetangula had challenged the State Department of Higher Education to introduce a policy for the merging of all education bursaries including the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) fund, the Universities Fund and bursaries dispensed by governors, MPs, MCAs and even woman representatives – so as to address the perennial university funding challenge.

 “All these resources come from the same source, the diminishing public purse. MCAs, Women rep, MPs, governors and even the ministry are giving bursaries. If you are able, it’s you to generate policy and this house will be more than happy to turn it into law so we can amalgamate and consolidate these funds,” said Wetangula.

On Thursday, Chief Justice Martha Koome also backed calls for the consolidation of the funds.

“I stopped watching news because of these very depressing items that keep flashing to our faces to remind us how unequal and how unjust we are in a society. That a child who has qualified to go the university can be there crying saying I have been put in Band 5 when I ought to be in Band 1 and therefore I cannot afford to go to the university,” she said.

“There’s a bursary fund from the taxpayers’ money given to the governor, women representatives, and MPs through CDF and MCA…All those bursaries, how are they disbursed? Why don’t you put them in Education and make Education free for all?” She posed.

And on Friday, Senator Richard Onyonka, who has been at the forefront of calling for a merger of the bursaries, asked on the Ministry of Education to hasten the process.

“We definitely need to collapse all these bursaries into one fund so we can make education free. We, however, must have proper data showing the names of students and their schools to make sure that the process is transparent, “he said.

“Funds such as the CDF should go back to the county governments to ensure proper oversight. People say that Governors are corrupt but when oversight starts with the county MCAs, the MPS and the Senators and ensure that there’s fine-tuning of the PFM Act, I promise you the fund will work,” added the Senator.

On the flip side, MPs from the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) Committee have asked Kenyans to jealously guard the kitty, to ensure sustained grassroots development in the wake of recent debates on its legality.

Led by Committee Chairperson Musa Sirma (Eldama Ravine) the MPs who were speaking during insurance of NG-CDF bursaries to needy learners in Dagoretti-North Constituency, noted that the Fund had assisted many poor households pay school fees in addition to upgrading critical learning infrastructure across the country.

"All of us are assembled here to benefit from this crucial kitty, and you can clearly see what the fund is doing in upgrade of our learning infrastructure. Any talk or abolishing NG-CDF is ill-intended," said Sirma.

Area MP Beatrice Elachi challenged parents to complement the efforts of the NG-CDF team, by making timely payments of the remaining fees to ensure learners remain in school.

"My efforts to ensure the fair distribution of NG-CDF bursaries are not enough, I need your help as parents with payment of the remainder of the fees so that our learners can remain in school," said Elachi.

On his part, Kitutu Masaba MP Clive Gisairo, who is also a member of the committee, challenged parents and university students to familiarise themselves with the new university funding model and to fix their applications accordingly to prevent being locked out of the crucial government funds.

Nairobi County Woman Representative Esther Passaris who was also in attendance challenged parents to ensure they retain learners in school to curb recent cases of rise in school dropout.