Some 1,300 Grade 10 learners in Wundanyi Sub-County benefited from Sh13 million education boost after the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) disbursed Sh10,000 to each of them to ease their transition into senior secondary school.
The funding was unveiled during the Wundanyi Education Conference held on Monday in Wundanyi, a forum that brought together education stakeholders, administrators, parents and students to discuss the progress and challenges of the new curriculum and access to education in the sub-county.
The initiative, funded through NG-CDF under the patronage of the area Member of Parliament (MP) Danson Mwashako, targets all Grade 10 learners from the sub-county, with the aim of ensuring that no student is sent home due to lack of school fees.
The money is expected to cushion parents, many of whom struggle with limited income, while guaranteeing learners a stable start to senior secondary education.
Speaking at the event, Mr Mwashako said the Grade 10 cohort had endured unique challenges under the new curriculum, noting that many learners were still adjusting to new learning environments and expectations.
“If there are children who have passed through a lot of challenges in their education journey, it is those who are joining Grade 10 because of the confusion experienced in the new curriculum,” Mwashako said adding, “These students have not had a good time, and that is why we must bring them close so that not even a single child gets lost.”
He urged school principals and teachers to handle the new learners with care, especially those encountering laboratories for the first time.
“The good thing is that we have principals here. The heads of institutions have done their work and brought you these Grade 10s. Kindly, handle them with care,” he said, adding that learners should not be punished for breaking laboratory apparatus due to lack of prior exposure.
“There is no primary school with a laboratory, yet they have been taught chemistry and biology. When they come and mistakenly break apparatus, please don’t punish them. They have never handled them before,” Mwashako urged teachers.
Despite the challenges, the MP noted that many learners from the sub-county had performed well and secured places in national schools. “We have students going to very good schools. Meaning, even with the challenges, they did well,” he said.
Mwashako said NG-CDF had significantly improved school infrastructure in the sub-county, with only eight schools yet to benefit, adding that plans were underway to ensure all schools are upgraded by next year.
He further highlighted the economic hardships faced by parents in the area, citing the prolonged dry spell and the lack of industries and factories to employ residents as major obstacles to income generation.
“What I have chosen is to stand with these parents so that they can give their children the education they deserve. If there is something one can remember me for, let them remember me for improved education. Every family seated here spends about 80 per cent of their income on education, yet they don’t have jobs or reliable sources of income,” he said.
The MP announced that NG-CDF would pay Sh10,000 for every Grade 10 learner from the sub-county, including those joining boarding schools, urging day schools not to send students home over fees.
“Through NG-CDF, I will pay for every Grade 10 child from this sub-county Sh10,000 starting today. For God’s sake, please don’t send them home,” he said.
He added that parents would only be required to pay Sh3,000 per year, or Sh1,000 per term, stressing that Sh13,000 was sufficient to educate a day school student and that any additional charges would be illegal.
“Sh13,000 is enough to educate a day student. Anything charged on top of that is illegal,” Mwashako said, while warning parents that he would not support extra levies agreed upon in parent meetings.
The conference was attended by NG-CDF Chief Executive Officer Yusuf Mbuno and Director Gabriel Kago, whose presence emphasised the fund’s commitment to supporting education at the grassroots level.
Beatrice Mwashi, the chairperson of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESHA) in the area and senior principal at Mwangeka Secondary School, praised the MP for his consistent support of education.
“This season when students are joining school is one of the toughest for parents,” she said, expressing optimism that the NG-CDF support would bridge the gap for many families.
She attributed the good academic performance witnessed in the sub-county to sustained backing from the area MP.
Assistant County Commissioner for Wundanyi, Halima Hassan, also lauded the MP for supporting students, parents and the local administration.
She urged residents to continue living in peace, noting that stability was key to education development. She added that NG-CDF-backed infrastructure projects had strengthened the work of government administrators in the area.
Wundanyi Sub-County Director of Education Doris Mashaka urged parents to take advantage of the education projects initiated by the MP, revealing that over 300 students from the sub-county had qualified for direct entry to university following the release of the 2025 KCSE results.
She called on parents to closely monitor their children’s discipline after fees had been paid, urging learners to work hard and make good use of the support provided to change their lives.
Mashaka praised the improved school infrastructure, saying it had created a conducive environment for learning, and called on leaders, parents and students to each play their role in improving education outcomes in the sub-county.
By Arnold Linga Masila
