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{
    "id": 1511160,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1511160/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 236,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Thika Town, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Alice Ng’ang’a",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "3. What measures has the Ministry put in place to guarantee that in the future, Presidential Secondary Schools Bursary funds will be released as they are located in the budget and disbursed in a timely manner? Concerning the first inquiry, I wish to respond that the reason for the lack of complete disbursement of the Presidential Secondary School Bursary Fund for the Financial Year 2023/2024 was due to the low allocation of funds and lack of Exchequer release. Consequently, the constituencies were not financed as expected. The effect of this is that even part of the minimal allocation granted to the sector was eventually not released by the National Treasury due to various reasons, including fiscal challenges. Concerning the second inquiry, I wish to respond that the Presidential Secondary School Bursary funds are disbursed in two batches yearly: the first and second half. The bursary is constituency-based. All the 290 constituencies are equally allocated. The State Department was allocated Ksh400 million in both Financial Years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 but obtained only Ksh200 million from the National Treasury, which affected the disbursement. Of greater concern, the total requirement for the Presidential Secondary School Bursary was Ksh2.56 billion in the Financial Year 2022/2023 and Ksh2.65 billion in the Financial Year 2024/2025. However, only Ksh400 million was allocated, representing only 15 per cent of the total requirement. The plan to ensure timely disbursement of funds for the previous and current financial years will therefore involve regular appraisal and reporting over the next two quarters of this financial year by the National Treasury to the Departmental Committee on Social Protection on measures being put in place to reduce currently allocated funds and all pending balances under the bursary programme. The Departmental Committee on Social Protection shall regularly engage the National Treasury during the course of this financial year to ensure the disbursement of the appropriated funds, as well as pending balances allocated to the Presidential Secondary School Bursary. In this regard, I wish to respond that the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizens Affairs manages the bursary. Henceforth, it will be required to prepare and release Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) schedules in a timely manner. This will facilitate the effective disbursement and utilisation of the funds to the counties for the payment of fees for the beneficiaries at the constituency level. Further, the Departmental Committee on Social Protection will involve the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizens Affairs and the National Assembly to secure sufficient allocation of resources to the Presidential Secondary School Bursary to enable orphans and vulnerable children from poor families to access secondary school education without hindrances or inconveniences. Finally, the National Treasury will be required to furnish the Departmental Committee on Social Protection with regular Exchequer releases and additionally commit to releasing 100 per cent of all the Presidential Secondary School Bursary funds for allocation. Thank you, Hon. Speaker."
}