Residents Cry Foul Over Bursary Distribution

Residents in Bonchari Constituency, Kisii county have criticized their area MP Charles Onchoke, accusing him of discriminatory bursary distribution that could undermine the government’s goal of achieving 100 percent transition to senior schools. Addressing an audience in Suneka town, former MP Pavel Oimeke, leading the residents, argued that the government’s initiative to track grade 10 learners would be ineffective without financial backing, such as through NG-CDF bursaries. Oimeke asserted that the current MP was providing bursaries exclusively to students studying within the constituency, excluding those pursuing education elsewhere. The former MP called on the sitting legislator to reconsider his distribution approach to ensure all deserving residents benefit. He pointed out that children attending national schools outside the county, who are potential future leaders, would face educational challenges if the MP continued to deny them bursary support, particularly considering the Sh171 million allocated to the area’s NG-CDF, with 40 percent earmarked for bursaries under the revised CDF Act of 2023. Oimeke recommended allocating a minimum of Sh8000 per secondary school student, Sh10,000 for college students, and Sh15,000 for university students. Paul Mogire, another resident, alleged that the MP was also practicing discrimination in distributing resources for local school infrastructure development. In a phone conversation, however, Onchoke refuted the allegations, stating that no bursaries had been distributed to beneficiaries yet. He clarified that the bursary distribution would commence on Tuesday.