A group of residents in Bonchari Constituency, Kisii county have criticized their area MP Charles Onchoke for alleged discrimination in bursary distribution, arguing it undermines government efforts to achieve 100 percent transition to senior schools.
Speaking at Suneka town in the constituency, the residents led by Pavel Oimeke, the former area MP, stated that the government’s policy to track grade 10 learners would be ineffective without financial support, including through NG-CDF bursaries.
Oimeke claimed that the legislator was only providing bursaries to learners studying within the constituency, while denying those studying in other areas.
Oimeke called on the current MP to review his criteria to benefit all eligible residents.
He pointed out that children attending national schools outside the county, who are future leaders, would face challenges in their education if Onchoke continued to deny them bursaries, especially after the government allocated Sh171 million for the area’s NG-CDF, with 40 percent designated for bursaries according to the revised CDF Act of 2023.
He appealed to the sitting MP to allocate at least Sh8,000 per secondary school learner, Sh10,000 for college students, and Sh15,000 for university students.
Another resident, Paul Mogire alleged that the MP was also discriminatory in allocating resources for developing local school infrastructure.
However, speaking on the phone, Onchoke refuted the claims, stating that the bursaries had not yet been distributed to any beneficiaries.
He clarified that the bursary distribution would commence on Tuesday.