Teso North Member of Parliament Oku Kaunya has announced plans to sponsor 30 residents from the constituency to pursue professional accountancy training under a full scholarship programme.
The MP said the first cohort would comprise 30 young people, with additional beneficiaries to be selected in subsequent cohorts if the programme becomes successful.
He urged communities to identify at least one person from every village for consideration under the programme.
Kaunya said the initiative was informed by the low number of qualified accountants in the constituency, despite accountancy being a lucrative career with opportunities for employment and self-employment.
Speaking during an economic empowerment fundraiser in support of Gesau Foundation’s initiative to purchase a bus for its community empowerment activities, Kaunya said education was one of the key avenues through which communities could fight poverty and improve their economic circumstances.
He said he was committed to supporting residents, particularly those from vulnerable backgrounds, to acquire professional skills that could enable them to earn a living and support their families.
The accountancy training is among the empowerment programmes under the Constituency Special Programmes, which seek to support community members who cannot afford the cost of professional training.
The accountancy scholarship is the latest education initiative announced by the MP, adding to other sponsorship programmes supported through the Teso North National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF).
The fund has already sponsored two residents from the constituency to train as pilots under full scholarships.
It has also supported more than 400 students from the constituency to pursue courses at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) under full scholarships.
Kaunya said the NG-CDF also provides full scholarships to students from the constituency who qualify for admission to study law, medicine and engineering at various universities.
By Moses Wekesa
