President William Ruto has announced a new agreement aimed at fixing long-standing problems that have delayed the release of bursary funds to students across the country.
The plan will see the national government work closely with county governments to ensure bursaries reach learners at the grassroots level without delays.
Speaking at State House during the UDA National Governing Council meeting on Monday, January 26, President Ruto said the government had resolved issues that had stalled the disbursement of bursary funds.
He explained that extensive consultations had been held between the national government, county governments, the Controller of Budget, and other key stakeholders to address concerns surrounding the management and distribution of bursaries.
The President noted that although bursaries are constitutionally under the national government, a clear and well-structured agreement with county governments was necessary to ensure smooth implementation on the ground.
According to Ruto, counties are better placed to identify needy students and manage the process effectively at the local level.
He revealed that the national government has now finalized agreements with all county administrations. This development, he said, clears the way for the Controller of Budget to approve and release funds to counties for bursary distribution. “We have resolved the matter.
The process of bursaries will now be actualised since the agreement between the national government and county governments has been concluded,” President Ruto stated.
The Head of State emphasized that the main goal of the new arrangement is to ensure that no child drops out of school due to lack of school fees. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting education and keeping learners in school, especially those from vulnerable backgrounds.
President Ruto’s announcement comes weeks after he directed the Ministry of Education to work together with the Council of Governors to develop a framework that would resolve disputes that had prevented counties from issuing bursaries to students in secondary schools and higher learning institutions.
Previously, the Controller of Budget had insisted that bursaries for tertiary institutions were strictly a national government function.
This position led to repeated disagreements with county governments, which have for years demanded authority to distribute bursary funds directly to learners within their regions.
However, President Ruto later gave counties the go-ahead to play a role in bursary distribution by assenting to the County Allocation of Revenue Act of 2025. The law increased the equitable share allocated to counties to KSh 415 billion.
These funds were meant to empower counties to design and implement local development programmes, including education support through bursaries.
With the agreements now fully in place, counties are waiting for formal approval from the Controller of Budget to begin releasing funds.
Once approval is granted, county governments are expected to move quickly to operationalise the bursary programme and ensure students receive financial support without further delays.
The new deal is expected to bring relief to thousands of learners and parents who have been affected by prolonged bursary delays, marking a major step toward improving access to education across the country.
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