Narok County's bursary scheme goes digital, Ksh.400M disbursed directly to school accounts

Narok County has transitioned from conventional paper-based bursary systems to a digital platform, Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu has announced.

Speaking in his home turf on Wednesday when he launched the county's 2024 bursary programme, Ole Ntutu noted that the move was informed by challenges encountered in the disbursement process last year, prompting his administration to develop the streamlined digital platform.

"Following last year's disbursement, my administration took stock of the challenges we faced during the process. We learnt from it and proposed a raft of measures and changes aimed at announcing the efficiency and effectiveness of the disbursement," said the Narok Governor.

"Unlike last year, where we implemented a manual system, this year we have gone digital. Every parent will directly receive a message sent to their phones indicating the school and the amount received in that institution from our bursary kitty, reference number and admission number."

He added that to receive the bursaries, parents will have to present the said messages to confirm the allocations with the children's school management.

"In this financial year we have allocated Ksh.400 million towards our bursary programmes, which is an increase from last year's allocation of Ksh.372 million," said Ole Ntutu.

"This financial resource is aimed at supporting about 47,308 learners, up from last year's 43,997. We have also increased the number of full scholarships from 500 students from last year to 1,702 students this year."

On his part, EALA MP David Ole Sankok lauded the bursaries programme initiative, highlighting that such allocations play a crucial role in addressing educational inequalities and fostering socio-economic development.