Woman's Decision After Being Asked To Choose Who Among Her Children Gets Bursary Moves Netizens

• Several parents and guardians who cannot afford school fees for their children depend on support from county and constituency development funds
• Trans Nzoia governor George Natembeya has been personally approving and signing cheques for deserving beneficiaries of the education bursary
• The woman was among hundreds of Trans Nzoia residents who had queued to get bursary cheques to finance the education of her two children

Michael Ollinga is a journalist at TUKO.co.ke with over 10 years of experience covering courts and crimes, special reports, and current affairs in Kenya.

As parents and guardians prepare for the commencement of the first term of the 2024 academic calendar, seeking out school fees is among the top items on their to-do lists.

Trans Nzoia education bursaries

In Trans Nzoia county, parents and guardians, like in many other counties, have been reaching out to constituency development fund offices and county offices to seek help to educate their children.

Most parents and guardians who cannot raise the required school fees for their children, especially those joining high school, are the greatest beneficiaries of such kitties.

To avoid unfair distribution and corrupt dealings, Trans Nzoia governor George Natembeya took it upon himself to vet and distribute education bursary money to deserving students and parents.

Natembeya personally allocates education bursaries

Moving from one part of the county to another, Natembeya personally signed cheques and approved and turned down some applicants based on their requests and backing documents.

During the exercise, he was categorical in saying that he would neither give cash to any parent nor deposit the requested money in personal accounts, demanding that applicants present original fee structures and school bank accounts.

In a video that has since gone viral, Natembeya is seen turning down parents who have yet to show up with genuine fee structures or school bank accounts, urging them to comply to benefit from the kitty.

Trans Nzoia woman moving plea for her children's school fees

It was during this exercise that a woman who was seeking a bursary for her two children presented her genuine documents, hoping they would both benefit, but the governor said they were supporting one student in a household first to ensure all needy families were not left out.

"Wako shule moja, unataka tulipie nani (Are they in the same school? Who among the two do you want us to pay school fees for?" Natembeya posed.

"All of them," the woman responded.

"Hatuwezi lipia wote wawili na hawa watu wote bado wanahitaji (We cannot pay for two children from one family for now because there are many other deserving cases)," the governor quipped.

"Basi gawanya (then divide between the two)," the woman pleaded with the governor, who obliged her request.

Natembeya was among the top-performing governors in a recent poll alongside his Homa Bay counterpart, Gladys Wanga.