By Our Correspondent
Nakuru County has stepped up its investment in education with major programmes cutting across all levels of learning. Governor Susan Kihika said her administration has centred its agenda on ensuring no learner is locked out of school because of economic hardship.
Speaking during her third State of the County Address at Ugatuzi Plaza on Wednesday, Kihika said the county has issued Sh952 million in bursaries to more than 140,000 learners since 2022, including Sh430 million this year to over 48,000 beneficiaries. She said these allocations are helping safeguard access to learning for vulnerable students and strengthen efforts to deliver inclusive and equitable education.
The County has also expanded early learning facilities, completing 140 new ECDE classrooms, establishing two Centres of Excellence in Naivasha and Nakuru West, installing 68 toilet blocks and furnishing 295 classrooms with child-friendly furniture. Several centres have also received fencing, outdoor play equipment, kitchens and water tanks as part of a wider effort to improve safety and learning conditions.
Kihika said 121 ECDE projects are underway, including the construction of 46 classrooms and 29 toilet blocks. The County plans to put up 69 new ECDE centres, equip 45 with modern furniture and complete 26 more toilet blocks.
“Our ECDE network has expanded significantly, growing from 1,003 to 1,068 centres. The School Feeding (Uji) Program now supports more than 65,000 learners, up from 59,000. We have also advanced several progressive policy frameworks, including the Nakuru County Bursary Fund Bill and Regulations 2025, the Bursary Fund Risk Management Policy, and the School Feeding Bill and Policy,” she added.
The Governor highlighted progress in learner support, citing the distribution of more than 33,000 instructional materials, recruitment of 192 new teachers and confirmation of 306 others to permanent and pensionable terms.
The countywide Uji programme now covers all 65,951 ECDE learners. Digital learning tools have also been rolled out, with 1,900 devices introduced to modernize teaching and strengthen data collection and curriculum monitoring.
In vocational training, Nakuru has expanded the number of operational VTCs from 33 to 41, completing more than 30 major upgrades including workshops, dormitories, administration blocks and 11 Centres of Excellence. Six new institutions have been built, 18 others fully equipped and several more fenced, electrified or expanded. Enrolment has risen by nearly 44 percent, from 4,419 trainees in 2022 to 6,350 by October 2025, supported by 148 instructors.
“To enhance access, we have provided Sh30,000 per trainee in capitation, totalling over Sh513 million since 2022. We have also developed the Draft Nakuru County Vocational Training Policy (2025), the Draft VTC Act (2025), and aligned our frameworks with the TVET Act (2013),” she confirmed.
The administration has also drafted new policies and legislation for the vocational training sector, recruited 38 new instructors, trained 100 through CBET programmes and overseen mass graduations for more than 4,000 youth.
The Governor added that the County is also pushing ahead with digital transformation, citing the establishment of the Molo Digital Hub, rollout of the ZOHO email platform, and completion of a new ICT policy now awaiting approval. Work is ongoing on a digital economy policy aimed at strengthening service delivery and expanding digital access across Nakuru.