A section of students from Turkana studying in Uasin Gishu is up in arms following a recent move by the county to blacklist some of the institutions from those that they will be paying bursary.
The students claim the County Government of Turkana recently listed a number of institutions of higher learning they said will not be considered when factoring in beneficiaries of the bursaries.
Speaking during the 7th Graduation ceremony at the African Institute of Research and Development Studies (AIRADS) in Eldoret, the students from Turkana County termed the directive unacceptable.
“We will be affected if the county stops supporting us through the bursaries just because we study in the schools they have listed,” said one of the students studying Civil Engineering at the Eldoret National Polytechnic.
“Most of us come from humble backgrounds and have been depending on bursaries to pay school fees. If the county stops, we might end up dropping out of school,” he added.
According to the students, the new Turkana Education County Executive recently sent out messages on social media listing a number of institutions that those studying in will not be eligible for bursaries.
Eldoret colleges
Among those listed are Uasin Gishu-based institutions including AIRADS, Elgon View College, and Eldoret Technical Training Institute (ETTI).
John Ekai, the Turkana student leader at AIRADS says the listed institutions are registered by the government and wondered why the county had blacklisted them.
The students are now threatening to stage protests in Eldoret and Lodwar towns should the county government of Turkana fail to accept their demands.
“They are giving lists of institutions they will not support students through the bursary kitty yet no explanation has been given,” noted another student leader.
At least 300 students from Turkana studying in Eldoret are likely to be affected by the order.
It remains unclear why the county government of Turkana has stopped sponsoring students studying in some of the institutions within Uasin Gishu County.
