How Sh500m Nyandarua bursary kitty was spent few days before polls
Former Nyandarua Governor Francis Kimemia.
The Nyandarua County Assembly was told how Sh500 million was spent days before the August 9 elections.
A former County Executive Committee member who is now a ward rep claimed the governor's bursary kitty that had Sh500 million was exhausted a few days before the elections.
Kiriita MCA Milka Wanjiru said a large percentage of the kitty for the current financial year was utilised in a span of three weeks.
Ms Wanjiru, who was a Water executive in ex-governor Francis Kimemia administration, made the claim on the floor of the assembly.
“The money was disbursed haphazardly in a span of three weeks to the election. Today, the list of beneficiaries and the amounts disbursed has not been made available for scrutiny,” she said.
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She made the claims on Tuesday when she sought a statement from the assembly’s Education Committee.
“The county runs two bursary funds – one under the department of Education and the other under the governor’s office. The county executive had also created the Governor's Scholarship Fund for needy students and it had been allocated close to Sh500 million,” she told the hushed House
“We need to know how much was allocated, what each beneficiary got, as well as the balances remaining as the department has not yet released any report on the two funds."
She called for transparency in appointments to ward committees that disburse the money.
“There is [no] framework that governs the governor's kitty for needy students,” she said.
She continued: "There is a need to come up with a framework that governs the kitty. The former administration claimed to have issued the bursaries on August 8, as a bait to seek re-election but as we speak, many needy students are at home for lack of school fees.”
North Kinangop MCA Edinald King'ori revealed that Sh75 million was to be disbursed to the county’s 25 wards, with each receiving Sh3 million, but some wards did not receive any money.
Mr King’ori, who was re-elected to his seat, said the previous governor had failed to sign the County Bursary Bill.
"We passed the County Bursary Bill but the former governor did not sign it into law, yet nothing was communicated to the House,” said Mr King’ori, who was majority leader in the second assembly.
He added that the bill was meant to give all students in the county an equal footing.
Leshau Pondo MCA Kamau Gathungu, the Education Committee chair, said a statement would be ready in 14 days.
