KISUMU, Kenya Sep 18 – Kisumu West MP Rosa Buyu has backed proposed legislation seeking to consolidate education funding to make university and college education more accessible to Kenyan students.
Buyu said the current bursary system was inadequate to meet the growing financial needs of students, particularly as more families struggle to meet the rising cost of education.
She spoke during the disbursement of bursary cheques worth Sh37 million to 3,740 students from Kisumu West Constituency pursuing studies in universities, colleges and other tertiary institutions.
The MP said the growing number of bursary applicants reflected the financial pressure facing families.
“What we’ve seen now is an increase year in, year out of the number of people who are coming out to look for bursaries, which only shows that the economic times are getting more and more difficult,” Buyu said.
Buyu said proposed reforms to consolidate education funds could offer a more sustainable solution by ensuring students are able to pursue tertiary education without being forced to drop out because of fees.
She noted that NG-CDF bursary allocations were limited, with university students receiving Sh12,000, college students Sh8,000 and learners in smaller institutions receiving Sh6,000.
“I am in support of the bills that are going through public participation today, that are actually calling out that all these monies should be put together, so that each and every student who needs to go to college can go free of charge,” she said.
The MP questioned the sustainability of one-off bursary payments, particularly for students whose families cannot raise additional fees when subsequent semesters begin.
She argued that providing free tertiary education would help reduce cases of students discontinuing their studies because of financial constraints.
The bursary programme targets needy students across Kisumu West Constituency.
Buyu said applications are collected at ward level every January and maintained that the programme does not discriminate against applicants based on their political affiliation.
“We do not look at who somebody supports politically. So long as you are needy, so long as you are a registered voter in this constituency, that means that you have a right to actually benefit from a bursary,” she said.
The MP also welcomed President William Ruto’s recent development tour of Nyanza, rejecting claims that the visit was primarily political.
She said the President’s tour coincided with the commissioning and launch of development projects across the region.
“This was not a political visit. In fact, if you saw what he did in all the regions, was to actually commission and launch some of the development projects that the people need in our region,” Buyu said.
She cited projects in Kisumu West including a sub-county police headquarters, the operational Huduma Centre and two Economic Stimulus Programme markets, which she said were about 80 per cent complete.
Buyu also pointed to road projects, including the 16-kilometre Holo-Lela Road, which she said was nearing completion.
The MP said increased national government investment in Nyanza was important to residents who had historically felt excluded from development.
“Because in the past, this area has been largely marginalized, but the President is coming often to this region to let the people know that indeed they are also part of Kenya,” she said.
She said completed infrastructure projects, alongside increased investment in education, would contribute to improved livelihoods for residents of Kisumu West and the wider Nyanza region.
