0ver 2000 Students Benefit from Sh. 15m Thika Town Bursaries.

Thika MP Alice Ng'ang'a presenting a cheque to one of the beneficiaries in Thika Stadium.

Thika Town MP has distributed bursary cheques worth Sh. 15 million to 2,221 students from needy families from all wards across the constituency who were unable to meet their education expenses.

While issuing the cheques at the Thika Sub-County Stadium on Friday, Hon. Alice Wambui Ng’ang’a (Mama Ciku) said that the fund will go a long way to ensure needy students continue to access education opportunities and improve their lives and those of their families. Alice implored upon the beneficiaries to maximise their bursaries to better their lives and endeavour to their best in education.

Among those who qualified included children who have lost one or both parents and had no relative or guardian or sponsor to provide for their secondary education, children whose parents are physically or mentally challenged and are unable to educate them, children whose parents are living with HIV/AIDS or other chronic debilitating illness, children who have suffered neglect or abandonment and have no relative or guardian or sponsor to provide for their secondary education and children with parents living under extreme poverty.

Alice said that her C.D.F. was jammed with so many letters seeking school fees assistance by many needy children who had performed very well, but they could only pick the most deserving according to the amount of money they had in their kitty. Otherwise, she said that they did all in their ability to ensure that as many beneficiaries as possible got a piece of the ‘cake’ so as to ensure they reported back to school for the third term.

“The money we receive as CDF is never enough to cater for all these cases. My team works extra hard to raise money from all quarters in order to help as many children as we can. That is why I am against anyone banning Harambees and I will continue to appeal well-wishers and people of goodwill in this region to consider coming forward to support this programme,” said Alice.

“The high number of applicants shows the level of academically gifted pupils in our learning institutions and who cannot afford to pay for their education. This means that we stand to lose this great manpower if we don’t join hands and support them to complete their learning. As a constituency and the country in general, we need to come together and find ways of arresting this situation. These are the brains that the country needs to nurture for the future of our nation,” she added.

She said that by November, her office will organise another Harambee to raise funds to assist more students under her Thika Education Trust Fund (THEFTU) who aim is to fully sponsor the most vulnerable students in the constituency. So far, the kitty was supporting 51 students and the MP was targeting to net more in the programme.

She promised to continue her support to the bodaboda operators who she said would benefit from free driving lessons and licensing by the end of this month. She said that they would disburse UWEZO Fund for the youth within the next two weeks.

Mama Ciku dismissed rumours going round that she was eying to Deputise Hon. Ferdinand Waititu as Governor of Kiambu County come 2017, clarifying that she will defend her seat in the next polls.

“I am not supporting Waititu for Kiambu Gubernatorial race so that I can deputise him. I am still in the race for Thika Town MP in 2017 and for those eying the seat can wait until 2022 when I will eye a bigger seat. Who said I cannot be the first Woman Deputy President of Kenya to assist H.E. William Ruto?” she posed.

She said that Jubilee Party nominations will be conducted by the Independent Electoral & Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to ensure that they reflected the true will of the people.

“We have resolved that J.P. (Jubilee Party) nominations will be done in May next year. That is exactly 3 months before the actual General Elections so as to give aggrieved aspirants enough time to lodge their appeals. These primaries will be conducted by the IEBC to guarantee fairness. We intend to have this day declared a national holiday so as to enable as many people as possible to participate in choosing their preferred party bearers.”

She warned the people of Thika not to be swayed by money to vote in the wrong people to office. Otherwise, she called on the elite not to waste that opportunity by allowing hooligans to vote in the wrong person by not participating in the nominations themselves.

“Jubilee nominations in (President) Uhuru and (DP) Ruto’s backyards will be the real test. Whoever will go through these nominations will be virtually guaranteed of the seat come August.so, don’t let anyone vote you the wrong candidate during those primaries as that will be your leader for the next five years. The challenges we are facing today are as a result of allowing the wrong people get through the preliminaries by allowing those who have sold their souls to the ‘Mr. Moneybags’ choose your leaders for you,” said the legislator.