Equipping youth with technical skills is key in empowering individuals to tackle unemployment and driving grassroots and national development for economic growth, Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika has emphasized.
Speaking during the launch of the second tranche of the county bursary fund at Langalanga Secondary School, the Governor outlined a raft of ongoing investments aimed at expanding access to education and skilling the county’s youth for the job market.
“We are not just handing out bursaries, we are laying the foundation for long-term economic transformation. Vocational training is not a fallback option. It’s a smart, strategic path to employment, enterprise, and dignity,” said Governor Kihika, in a speech read on her behalf by Education Minister Zipporah Wambui.
Over the past year, the County Government has constructed eight fully equipped training workshops at its Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) at a cost of Ksh15.2 million. Nine centres have also been supplied with modern tools and machinery worth Ksh15.7 million.
Seven new VTCs have been opened, bringing the total number across the county to 40. Additionally, 10 Centres of Excellence have been constructed and are scheduled to be operational this year. These investments have already pushed VTC enrolment from 5,361 last year to 6,250 this year.
“We are determined to create opportunities that match today’s market needs. That’s why every VTC student continues to benefit from a Ksh30,000 annual capitation, easing the burden on parents while raising training standards,” said Governor Kihika.
The governor also announced the disbursement of Ksh287.7 million in bursaries for 49,865 learners across Nakuru’s 11 sub-counties, under the second tranche of the 2024/2025 financial year bursary program.
Of this, secondary school students, who form the majority of beneficiaries, will receive over Ksh134 million. Vocational trainees are set to get Ksh71 million, followed by college students with Ksh43.9 million. A further Ksh35.6 million will support university students, while Ksh2.4 million is earmarked for learners in special needs institutions.
“This bursary fund is a testament to our belief that no child should be denied education due to lack of fees. We are here to give hope to the hopeless and to invest in the dreams of every learner in Nakuru,” Governor Kihika added.
So far, Ksh440 million has been allocated for bursaries this financial year, up from Ksh342 million in the previous cycle. The first tranche of Ksh165 million was disbursed earlier in the year.
In addition to bursaries and VTC development, the Governor noted the county’s investments in early childhood education. This includes the recruitment of 498 ECDE teachers on permanent terms, raising the total to 821, as well as the construction of 127 ECDE classrooms and the rollout of a school feeding programme that has pushed enrolment to 65,000.