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Nairobi MCAs defy Nyakango’s order allocate Sh450 million for bursaries

Majority Leader Peter Imwatok said it is unfair for Nyakang’o to deny education to children across the country

Nairobi Members of the City County Assembly have vowed to ignore a directive by the Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o stopping county governments from disbursing education bursaries.

According to the Finance, Budget, and Appropriation Chairman, Wilfred Odalo, the Assembly is not bound to the circular by Nyakang’o.

“The committee reinstated the bursary allocation as passed in the budget. There is a circular by the COB but it is not binding us not to pass the supplementary,” he said during a special sitting to consider the report by the Select Committee on County Finance, Budget, and Appropriations on the  Supplementary (I) Budget Estimates for the FY 2024/2025.

The assembly has reallocated Sh450 million for the bursaries kitty.

Majority Leader Peter Imwatok said it is unfair for Nyakang’o to deny education to children across the country, adding that some of those opposed to the county bursaries are where they are because of such support.

The Makongeni MCA stated that it is against the Constitution and a violation of their rights.

“The Constitution does not envision anywhere that the rights of children are violated. Seventy per cent of the Kenyan population lives in poverty and the bursaries have come through for them big time. Some of us would not be here if it were not for those bursaries. I want to urge the COB respectively that we cannot deny children education,” he said.

The assembly passed the report by the Select Committee on County Finance, Budget, and Appropriations, chaired by Mabatini Ward MCA Wilfred Odalo, f during the morning session and is expected to pass the budget in the afternoon.

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This comes after last week, the Controller of Budget said that county governments were only permitted to issue bursaries for pre-primary education and village polytechnics in line with Part 1 of the Fourth Schedule of the law.

According to Nyakang’o, bursary issuance to learning primary, secondary, and other tertiary institutions is illegal since it is solely the role of the national government as per the Constitution.

Nyakang’o, in her circular to the county governments, said that for county governments to issue bursaries, they must first enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the national government as required by article 187 of the Constitution.

The council of governors, however, criticised Nyakang’o, saying the law did not explicitly assign the governing or distribution of bursaries to either of the two levels of government.

They also explained that the issuance of bursaries by counties was in line with Article 43 of the Constitution which stated that every person has the right to education.

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