Bursary battle deepens as counties push for full control over education

Bursary battle deepens as counties push for full control over education – Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o.

County leaders are intensifying their push for full control over education functions, citing the need to better support students in their regions.

The dispute follows a meeting between governors and Controller of Budget (CoB) Margaret Nyakang’o, who reaffirmed that counties cannot independently fund bursaries for secondary and university students without a valid intergovernmental agreement.

According to Nyakang’o, the national government should handle bursaries for secondary schools and universities, while counties can fund Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and early childhood development programs (ECDE).

“The requirements are still the same as per my circular of January 2025. Counties must submit a valid intergovernmental agreement,” Nyakang’o stated. “The funds for secondary and university bursaries should come from the national government. Bursaries for TVET and ECDE should come from the county budget.”

Despite these restrictions, governors argue that counties are best positioned to understand and respond to the needs of local students.

Speaking to the Senate Education Committee on Thursday, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said the meeting with the Controller of Budget had clarified the procedures counties must follow, allowing them to resume bursary distributions under the outlined rules.

“Our bursaries and scholarships are now going to resume because we are following the CoB’s guidelines,” Sakaja said. He further defended the counties’ role in bursary provision as both a moral and political responsibility.

“We are better placed as counties to run the education function. We understand the needs of our people. What we need is a full transfer of the function—what we have now is a mongrel,” Sakaja added.

Sakaja highlighted Nairobi County’s performance, revealing that the devolved unit had spent Sh1.8 billion on school bursaries over the last two years compared to Sh3 billion used by previous administrations over a decade.

Senators, however, cautioned counties against taking up functions that constitutionally belong to the national government.

“You want to pay the bill for the national government,” said nominated Senator Catherine Mumma. “When you take over the functions of the other level, some responsibilities will suffer. The correct position is that governors can assist students only through conditional grants until the function is formally transferred.”

The Senate Education Committee has signaled plans to summon Nyakang’o for further clarification on the bursary guidelines while underscoring that secondary and university bursaries remain a national function.

Nyakang’o cited the Constitution’s Fourth Schedule, which assigns national responsibility over primary, secondary, and university education, while counties are tasked with pre-primary programs, childcare facilities, village polytechnics, and home craft centers.

Nonetheless, governors maintain that counties must continue supporting students to prevent gaps in access to education.

“We must ensure that needy and bright students get an education,” Sakaja emphasized.

In other news:13 Dead in Elgeyo Marakwet as Heavy Rains Ravage the Country

Bursary battle deepens as counties push for full control over education