Nearly 160 Kenyan students in Russia are stranded and may be sent home any time after their sponsor pulled out.
Higher Education Minister Sally Kosgei admitted the sponsor has pulled out after being unable to pay. Dr Kosgei, who was replying to a question by Kitui West MP Charles Nyamai, said she had written to the Treasury seeking funds and sent copies to the President and Prime Minister to salvage the situation.
Nyamai wanted to know whether the minister was aware of the students’ plight. He said their sponsor, Universal Education Trust Fund, was facing financial difficulty.
Mr Nyamai had also sought to know if the Government could step in and help the students continue with their studies.
The minister, however, said 65 of those students had been offered places in Kenyan public universities and they could also benefit from Higher Education Loans Board assistance.
House lauds cash to grassroots, but questions management
MPs praised devolving of resources in this year’s budget but said there is need to streamline administration of funds allocated to constituencies.
They said while there was no ambiguity as to the administration of funds disbursed through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), it was unclear how other monies would be administered.
The legislators said the public was of the view that MP were in control of the allocations since the funds were distributed evenly to constituencies. Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, besides the Sh12 billion CDF allocations to the 210 constituencies, doled out millions of shillings shared evenly among all constituencies to fund projects, which he noted would be channeled through line ministries.
Yesterday, assistant ministers Simeon Lesrima (Internal Security) and Josephat Nanok (Wildlife) and MPs Larry Gumbo (Rarieda, ODM), Francis Chachu (North Horr, ODM) and
Njoroge Baiya (Githunguri, PNU) said the system of management should be clarified.
Mr Gumbo, a member of the CDF committee, said it should be explained how these funds will be disbursed to constituencies.
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