Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has announced that the National Government Constituency Development Funds (NGCDF) will be released in January 2023 to enable students to get bursaries to join Form One.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Machogu said that the delay in disbursing the funds was due to the budgetary constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent floods that affected many parts of the country.
He assured the public that the government was committed to ensuring that no student is left behind in accessing quality education, regardless of their financial background.
He also urged the NGCDF committees in each constituency to prioritize the most needy and deserving students in awarding the bursaries, and to avoid any corruption or nepotism in the process.
He further revealed that the government had allocated Ksh. 28 billion for the NGCDF funds, which will be distributed to the 290 constituencies according to a formula that takes into account the population, poverty level, and land area of each constituency.
He appealed to the Members of Parliament and other stakeholders to work together with the ministry and the NGCDF board to ensure that the funds are utilized effectively and transparently for the benefit of the students and the communities.
The NGCDF is a fund established by the government in 2003 to support development projects at the grassroots level, such as education, health, water, roads, and security. The fund is managed by a board appointed by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, and overseen by the NGCDF committees in each constituency, chaired by the respective MPs.
