UGUNJA, Kenya — The Ugunja Constituency Development Fund (CDF) has announced the allocation of over Sh. 27 million to assist more than 3,900 students in their educational endeavors. This significant financial support is aimed at subsidizing the education costs for students attending various secondary schools across the region.
According to Kenya News Agency, the bursary funds will benefit a total of 3,941 students, helping to cover the expenses associated with their secondary education. Benard Omolo Were, the chairman of the committee, detailed the distribution of funds, noting that 697 form-one students will receive Sh. 4.9 million in total, while the remaining Sh. 22 million will support the fees of 3,244 continuing students.
The announcement was made during a ceremony outside the Ugunja CDF offices in Ugunja town, where Were emphasized the committee’s commitment to supporting needy students, including those requiring special skills training. Philip Oloo Ndaya, the chairman of the bursary subcommittee, highlighted the successful application rate, with 70 percent of form one joining students and 76 percent of continuing students receiving bursary awards.
Secondary school principals in the area have played a pivotal role in mobilizing students to apply for the bursaries. Paul Jera, the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association Ugunja sub-county branch chairman, praised the constituency bursary scheme for its crucial support to bright but financially disadvantaged students. Jera, also the principal of Simerro Secondary School, pointed out the economic challenges faced by many students in day schools and how the bursaries have been instrumental in keeping them in school and enabling their academic success.
Canon Caroline Ngunya, the principal of Got Osimbo Girls’ Secondary School, echoed these sentiments, stating that the timely disbursement of the bursary funds comes as a relief to schools struggling with depleted resources. The financial support from the Ugunja CDF is expected to ensure that educational programs continue uninterrupted, benefiting both the students and the institutions.