Governor Waiguru disburses bursaries worth Ksh.3 million for needy students

Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru on Wednesday disbursed Ksh.3,081,000 to assist some of the county’s needy students.

Out of the kitty, Ksh.1,615,000 went to secondary school students, Ksh.990,500 to university students and Ksh.475,500 to students in tertiary institutions.

While issuing the bursary cheques to selected students among the beneficiaries, the governor said that funds will benefit 179 secondary school students, 50 university students and 22 college students.

Beneficiaries in secondary schools were awarded between Ksh.5,000 and Ksh.10,000, while university and college students got between Ksh.15,000 and Ksh.30,000 depending on the need of the student.

Waiguru said that the bursary fund is aimed at enabling students from poor backgrounds to remain in learning institutions after enrollment.

She noted that the disbursement was in addition to the Ksh.110 million bursaries given to about 40,000 students earlier in the year.

“My government remains committed to supporting the education of our children, the improvement of academic performance in our county and ultimately, the lives of our youth,” said Waiguru.

The governor also appealed to all the county residents to strictly adhere to the laid down COVID-19 prevention measures, such as wearing masks properly whenever in public, washing hands regularly, and observing physical distance.

She noted that the county has registered a total of 530 COVID-19 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic, with 436 and 24 patients successfully recovering from home-based care and isolation centers respectively.

Currently, 4 patients are undergoing treatment in isolation centers while another 27 are recovering under home based care. The county has lost 9 people to the disease, two of them dying during the current wave.

The governor also noted that the county had on Wednesday received an additional 6,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine making a total of 11,000 doses that the county has received so far.

About 4,500 people who include health workers, police officers, teachers and people aged 58 years and above have already received the vaccine.

The governor urged the elderly as well as people with underlying conditions to visit the nearest designated vaccination center for the jab.