In probably the largest allocation ever to fund eduction in the Luo Nyanza counties, the county government of Migori has set aside over Ksh 100 million to sponsor needy but bright students to gain education and build their professional skills.
The county of Migori established the Ward Development Fund, a coffer run by members of County Assembly, and sunk Ksh 80 million in it to fund needy students at ward level. However, Migori County is among counties with some of the best performing primary schools which has led to many students getting admissions to good schools making the ward funds inadequate.
To mitigate this, the office of the governor last week launched a new Ksh 20 million scholarship initiative for the best and brightest, and has so far fully paid at least 200 students joining county and national secondary schools since last week.
While opening the first session of Migori County Assembly, the Governor, Okoth Obado, revealed the county government intends to increase allocation to education in the coming years while maintaining the scholarships to the students who have already benefited from the governor’s scholarship programme.
Education, according to several people interviewed by this writer from the county, ranks as the most expensive endeavour for most families. Secondary education in Kenya’s top county and national schools averagely costs Ksh 100,000 annually, which beyond most parents.
The county of Migori has in the new years of devolution constructed ten new polytechnics, which, in addition to the 13 politics built since independence will attract more youths to apply for skills based courses which is becoming necessary as counties take shape with new jobs being created daily.
The county is also constructing over a hundred new early childhood training centres and employing ECDE trainers/teachers who have remained outside national government payroll since independence.
Supporters of Gov. Okoth Obado exude confidence that their man is on the right track and will disappoint naysayers ahead of 2017 elections. Obado who won the 2013 election on PDP ticket has remained tight-lipped on whether he will rejoin ODM despite hosting the ODM Party leader both privately and publicly in numerous occasions in the county.
Perhaps, the biggest achievement of the governor, who spent the better part of the last two years fighting an election petition in courts, is the construction of a new tarmac road within Migori town. Apart from national highway road from Kisii to Sirare border point which passes through Migori town, not a single road in the county had an inch of bitumen.