Hundreds of parents and students in Masimba Ward, Kisii County, were left stranded and frustrated after allegations emerged that bursary application forms meant to be issued freely were being sold to desperate applicants.
By 9.am , there were claims that only 300 of the 1000 the bursary forms that had been disbursed .
There was no explanation about the whereabouts of the other 700.
Outside the Masimba County offices, the long queues of the potential applicants quickly turned into angry scenes when it dawned that there were no further bursary forms availble for them.
And By 10 am, reports begun circulating that some people were selling the forms in a local bar at Sh 500 sparking protests.
Isaiah Ratemo, one of the parent accused unnamed officials and middlemen of taking advantage of vulnerable families seeking financial support for school fees during the tough economic times.
“We were told the forms are free, but when we arrived there was no form om sight. We have only heard that some people are now demanding money before giving them out. Some have already paid for them,”he stated.
He said some of the beneficiaries dif not have students in grades 10 as required of the applicants.
“These are the people possibly loitering with the forms in bars,” he claimed.
There was no immediate response from the officials though one layer emerged from the offices and made an announcement that more forms would be brought in Friday.
We were not able to independently verify the claims even as anger continued to be directed at the County administration for presiding the excercise in a shoddy manner.
The area MCA Bouse Mairura was not present though he had early notified the residents to turn up for the forms.
John Ratemo from Suguta claimed the process lacked order, with confusion and overcrowding witnessed at some centres as parents competed for the limited forms.
One student said many needy learners could miss the opportunity due to the alleged irregularities.
“We woke up very early and queued for hours. Some people were being served faster after paying money while others were ignored,” the student alleged.
The controversy sparked anger among residents, with local leaders calling for investigations into the claims.
Some parents now want the ward administration to digitise the application process and ensure transparency in the distribution of bursary forms to avoid exploitation.
Efforts to obtain an official response from ward officials were unsuccessful by the time of going to press.
The incident comes at a time when many families across the county are struggling to raise school fees amid rising living costs and economic hardship.
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