Some government officials have been accused of dishing out bursaries to their relatives, friends and close associates who do not deserve it.This goes against the reasons as to why Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Bursary was created . Read more HERE
In September 2018, two Nairobi ward representatives were also accused of colluding with rogue county employees to steal bursary funds through a proxy firm and personal bank accounts.
CDF Bursary was created after the establishment of county governments. The counties set aside a certain amount of money in their budgets to help the needy yet bright students to access education through the bursary programmes. Successful applicants have to meet certain requirements and then money is disbursed to their school accounts by the county government.
But the importance of the bursaries has been questioned due to claims of corruption especially since deserving cases are often left out, or the amount issued is too little to adequately cover the fee required.
Kibra Constituency led by the late MP Ken Okoth was once voted as the best in CDF management. Hon Okoth who passed on last month was popularly known for his passion for education and that included what his constituents termed as fair distribution of bursaries.
In other constituencies however awarding CDF bursary has become an avenue for corruption. In May this year for example, The Auditor General could also not confirm if student bursaries worth Sh27.10 million that were disbursed to secondary schools and tertiary institutions were received as there were no acknowledgement receipts by the beneficiary institutions.
RoggKenya has therefore summarized for you the steps to be followed and the requirements in order for one to qualify from this fund.
How to apply for the Bursary:
- Some constituencies, like Kibra usually announce when the forms are ready. Notices are posted around the constituency in conspicuous places. Others announce on local radio stations and chief barazas.
- Fill an application form which could be downloaded from official website of your county government .Another option is to visit the County government offices in your county or any Chief/Sub-Chief’s office.
- You should then fill all the parts as required and truthfully. Since most applicants are minors, you need a parent or guardian to help. Some of the details required include your full names, Name of school, Your registration/ Admission number, the amount of fees you want to be paid, your Parents/Guardian name, their Identity Card Number, place of residence within that particular County, the Parent/Guardian Signature and the applicants’ results lip/report since they target the needy and bright students in the County.
- After filling the forms, you need various signatures from the Government officials such as the Chief, Sub-Chief, Headmen and then from your priest/Pastor/Sheikh.
- Application forms are then submitted after it is filled and ascertained that the information provided is of highest percentage of truth to the County government or to the office of the area Chief/Sub- chief who will then take them to the appropriate offices.
What journalists should investigate
- This application forms passes through many hands including government and religious leaders, at what point does a student who is not needy get through it successfully and is awarded what they do not deserve? Why do needy and deserving students miss this important fund?
- How is your constituency performing in relation to bursary allocation?
Some of the existing interventions
- A new application known as e-Bursary, was developed by students of Technical University of Mombasa (TUM), to reverse the application process. The e-bursary system enables students to apply and receive bursaries from any part of the country through their mobile phones. Students do not have to go to their constituencies to apply for the loan https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/corporate/tech/4258474-4882770-kqer5cz/index.htm
- A mobile phone App called Action for Transparency or simply A4T was developed by Transparency International Kenya (TI-Kenya)to strengthen democratic accountability and transparency through citizen monitoring of government expenditure. The user can search for specific institutions to find out how much was allocated. They can then go ahead to interrogate how the fund was spent. In case the two do not add up, and there is suspected fraud they can go ahead and report the case. These cases are then followed up and reported to the respective institutions like Ethics and Corruption Commission (EACC) to take action. Read more on the app HERE
