Needy students across Bungoma County have received a boost after Westlands MP and gubernatorial aspirant Tim Wanyonyi said he has already begun executing the responsibilities of the county’s top office by supporting education for vulnerable learners.
Speaking during the issuance of education support cheques, Wanyonyi said his actions reflect the leadership approach he intends to entrench if elected, noting that investing in education is key to transforming lives and securing the county’s future.
“This is what I have been doing and what I will do if elected or not elected the Bungoma governor,” Wanyonyi stated.
Further, he said that his office liaised with the Members of County Assembly (MCAs) who identified needy cases in their areas for the support, adding that he has started supporting Education to show and confirm that he is capable of working for Bungoma people.
The ODM MP rallied parents to support their children to ensure that they stay in school not at home.
“Our investment in Education is an assured bet that our children will take over from us, Bungoma and Kenya will be a better place for all of us even if we exist from the stage,” he added.
He said that over 40 learners from different schools in Bungoma have benefited from the Education support kitty.
Despite the controller of the budget’s red flag on governors against payment of fees for the needy students, MP Wanyonyi says that if elected the governor through innovation he would get enough resources to support education in Bungoma County.
“It depends how you deal with your work, you can have the law but through innovation you will get enough funds to do many things including payment of fees, sometimes it depends with who is the occupier of the office, you can still work out and find a way that you are not breaking the law but you are serving all interests that comes on your desk,” he said.
He added, “I will make sure that these needy learners go to school, under my watch as the governor of Bungoma and even without being in that office I have already started doing that, this is one of the pillars my manifesto.”
Timothy Wakhungu, the project’s manager, applauded the MP for coming up with the education support program stating that it has realized learners from humble backgrounds get access to education.
He said that each student benefited Ksh10, 000 support bringing the total to Ksh470, 000.
“Last year in December, we also disbursed Ksh410,000 which went towards supporting needy cases to access education,” Wakhungu said.
He added that the education kitty targets both secondary school and higher education students, with priority given to learners from vulnerable backgrounds who risk dropping out due to lack of school fees.
According to Wakhungu, the initiative is aimed at ensuring continuity of learning, reducing school dropout rates and empowering young people to pursue their academic dreams despite financial challenges.
