Speaker Douglas Mbilu Calls for Unified National Bursary System to End Education Inequality

Makueni County Assembly Speaker Douglas Mbilu has urged the national government to overhaul Kenya’s fragmented bursary system and establish a single, transparent National Education Fund to support equitable access to quality education.

Speaking during the issuance of County bursaries at Kathonzweni, Speaker Mbilu welcomed the support offered by county governments but said the moment underscored a much deeper problem within Kenya’s education financing model.

“We must stop patching up a broken system. Kenya needs a consolidated, accountable National Education Fund to deliver on the promise of free, quality, and compulsory education for every child,” he said.

He highlighted the current overlapping bursary structures—including the Presidential Bursary, Ministry of Education Bursary, County Bursary, NG-CDF Bursary, and Women Rep Bursary—as inefficient and prone to politicization and mismanagement.

“This patchwork system not only promotes inequality but also violates Article 43(1)(f) of our Constitution, which guarantees every child the right to education,” he noted.

Speaker Mbilu emphasized that a unified bursary framework would promote fairness, reduce duplication of roles, and restore public confidence in the administration of education support programs.

His remarks come at a time when thousands of learners across the country continue to face financial obstacles that threaten their academic future, despite multiple funding streams intended to assist them.