600 students offered bursaries in Pipeline

About 600 students in Pipeline Ward, Embakasi South, have benefited from the ward bursary fund. The students received Sh5,000 each towards secondary school fees as part of Sh3.5 million ward bursary fund from the Nairobi County government. At the same time, 62 driving school beneficiaries, including bodaboda riders received Sh10,000, totalling to Sh620,000 to cover full diving courses for two months course at Rocky Driving School. Speaking during the disbursement exercise, Pipeline Ward MCA Stephen Gikonyo said he gave out 576 cheques to primary and secondary school children each valued at Sh5,000. In terms of tertiary level beneficiaries, he added that so far 186 have benefited from the driving school bursaries for three years now. “There is a huge demand for the bursaries yet only 700 can benefit. Applicants who come to fill the forms are between 4,000 to 5,000,” said Gikonyo. He said he hoped the bursary fund will be increased to Sh4.5 million once the BBI bill is effected to add 200 more beneficiaries as well as increase the capacitation to Sh8,000. The ward representative also decried the lack of public utilities in the constituency which has a population of 170, 000 due to the grabbing of utilities. He said that Embakasi South has only one public primary and secondary school called Kwa Njenga with many private academies. Gikonyo stated that a search he conducted at the Survey of Kenya revealed that two public utility plots where public secondary and primary schools were to be built had allegedly been grabbed by a prominent family and Lucky Summer landlords, with the latter currently having commercial plots built there. He, however, said he has begun the process of reclaiming the two parcels of land and has already tabled documents on the same in the Nairobi County Assembly. “I urge the private developers to surrender the plots to the county so that we develop public amenities like schools, hospitals, and social halls or give us money so we buy plots elsewhere," he said. Last year, a public-turned-private school, initially called Goodrich School, was returned to the community and is now called Mukuru Community Center School.