Lurambi MP Titus Khamala Unveils Subsidy Plan to Cut Day School Fees

Lurambi MP Titus Khamala has announced that the constituency’s NG-CDF education bursaries will be converted into subsidies for day secondary schools starting next year.

This change follows complaints from residents about delays in the disbursement of education bursaries by the NG-CDF office over the past two years.

Khamala explained that his team has developed a hybrid approach to ensure schools receive funds more efficiently. The goal is to provide schools with larger, timely allocations to purchase food for students' lunches, helping to keep learners in school.

Speaking to journalists at his Shibuli home on Monday, Khamala stated that, beginning in January, the education support funds will be sent directly to schools rather than being allocated to individual students.

“I have secured a pool of between Sh 50 and Sh 60 million that will be distributed to schools annually. Previously, we allocated Sh 20 million for bursaries, but this amount was barely enough, forcing us to borrow from the following year’s allocation to cover gaps,” he said.

Khamala added that the subsidy will reduce annual fees for day scholars from between Sh 10,000 and Sh 15,000 to approximately Sh 5,000.

He suggested that any remaining balance could be covered by ward bursaries, effectively making day secondary education nearly free.

The MP also mentioned plans to meet with MCAs from the constituency to discuss additional support that could be provided through ward bursary funds.

Additionally, Khamala’s office is collecting data on students from the constituency who are enrolled in colleges and universities. This will streamline bursary disbursements, allowing funds to be sent directly to institutions so students can report without waiting for physical cheques.

“We want these details on file so that students can simply report to their colleges at the start of term, and the funds will follow them there,” he explained.

Khamala said the recent bursary disbursement issues arose after his NG-CDF team allocated more resources toward constructing new classrooms.

“When I took office, I found that many classrooms in public schools had been condemned by public health officials. We had to invest more in building multi-story classrooms to accommodate the growing student population,” he said.

He added that he has already met with secondary school principals and other education stakeholders, forming a committee to draft regulations and determine subsidy amounts for each school.

“I want to put an end to this bursary problem. Lurambi will not face challenges with bursary distribution under my watch,” he stated.

Khamala also noted that he has personally restricted spending on the infrastructure account to reallocate funds initially intended for classroom construction toward education subsidies.

“We want to end the cycle of students constantly being sent home for fees. By sending more funds to schools based on student numbers, we aim to cover meal costs and lessen parents' financial burden each year,” he said.

He also mentioned that principals will be required to agree in writing that they won’t send students home before receiving the subsidy.

Additionally, the NG-CDF office will support schools by purchasing reams of paper, alleviating this cost for parents.