
Bungoma Schools Threaten Not To Readmit 7,000 Students Over Unpaid County Scholarships
Due to fee arrears, several Bungoma schools have threatened not to readmit students on county scholarships.
Parents are in a panic as students enjoy their mid-term break. The Bungoma government has yet to submit school fees for the program’s 7,000 Form 1 students.
Rose Situma, Chief Officer for Education and Vocational Training, stated that the available funds are insufficient for the program.
Situma had requested advice from the Chief Officer of Finance in a letter dated April 18.
“The 7,000 students in Form 1 are in addition to the continuing 4,500. About Sh444 million is required yet we have only Sh60 million,” the letter read.
According to the letter, the purpose of the correspondence is to find a way forward because pressure is piling up among parents and schools.
The county assembly, on the other hand, has summoned Education executive Betty Mayeku at least three times to discuss the issue. Manyeku, on the other hand, has declined the summons.
The Budget and Appropriations Committee blamed the skewed implementation of the county scholarship on the executive, led by Governor Wycliffe Wangamati.
According to committee chairperson Jack Wambulwa, it is improper for the governor to award scholarships in excess of the budgeted amount.
He says only Sh60 million was allocated in the budget, but the scholarships issued thus far have exceeded and more than doubled the amount.
The committee regretted that many scholarship recipients might be turned away from their institutions.
“However, where will they get the funds from, yet the scholarships issued are way beyond the allocation?” Wambulwa said.

Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati speaking during the unveiling of the Governor’s scholarships program in Webuye recently. Bungoma MCAs have taken issue with him for owning the county scholarship programme and giving it his name.
Several parents whose children were accepted into the scholarship program expressed concern that their children would be denied admission after half-term.
They claimed that schools were no longer accepting Bungoma government promissory notes.
Some parents claim that Children have been told to bring the fees when they return from half-term.
They allege that the county promised to pay the fees after a week of admission but has yet to do so.
Some parents are now concerned that the scholarship program will be used as a political tool during the election season.
Several schools declined the county’s promissory notes during Form 1 admission, forcing parents to dig deeper into their pockets.
According to the principal of an extra-county school, who poke to THE STAR and requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, admitting students without fees will be extremely difficult.
He claimed that the county has been struggling to pay for continuing students, some of whom have massive fee arrears and are in Form 4.
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"We are having difficulties handling this issue of county scholarship, because there are students in Form 4 whose fees was only paid once,” the school head said.
He stated that most schools are now understaffed and will be unable to readmit students after midterm break.
When contacted about the issue, Mayeku and Situma did not return phone calls or text messages.