Residents and parents of Menengai Ward on Friday put the area Ward representative Michael Macharia on the spot, to answer questions over what they termed as skewed and corruption in the allocation of Ward Education Bursary fund money.
Parents and residents who were gathered at Natewa Secondary School during a ground breaking ceremony and inspection of construction work at the new school, demanded explanation from the County Assembly representative why the bursary fund was only benefitting children in schools perceived to consist children from able families, while sidelining those in schools with children from poor families.
The meeting that was ended abruptly threatened to become ugly, after a section of residents and parents started hulling abusive words at the Member of the County Assembly, accusing him of mismanaging the bursary fund.
At one point, the School’s Board of Directors Chairman Moses Mwangi was forced to intervene to cool off the tempers from the agitated residents, noting that the issue was being tabled at a wrong forum.
“This function was not meant for airing of complaints. We invited the honourable MCA here on a different issue. Please let us behave like responsible citizens and accord him the respect he deserves,” the board chair pleaded.
However, his pleas landed on deaf ears, as the residents went on to shout him down and demanded that the MCA takes responsibility over the mismanagement of the bursary fund, which they argued that was benefiting rich families in the area to the disadvantage of needy ones.
Ernest Mwai, a parent at the school told this writer later that the allegations were live and real, adding that many needy parents who had applied for the bursary for their children had never succeed since the fund was established in 2013.
“We are not strangers in this area. We are aware that bursary fund cheques go to schools where parents are able to pay fees but never in our local schools. This matter should not be treated as a simple matter. We will demand for answered why poor children are being denied the bursary yet it was meant for them,” said the angry parent.