Meru County MP. Hon. Bishop Kawira Mwangaza has said that her office is allocated Sh3 million in funding for Meru County bursaries and in comparison to the number of students in Meru County, the funding is insignificant.
Speaking in Kiegoi Antubochiu, Meru County during the commissioning of Andula Umoja 3 water project, Kawira said that Kiraitu Murungi’s government is allocated Sh145 million for Meru County bursaries per year.
“I’m live on TV so that if there is a representative from Kiraitu Murungi’s government or MCA, he can hear me say that I shouldn’t be visiting a community like Antubochiu and meeting students who are at home due to a lack of school fees and are asking for my help, despite the county government allocating Sh145M for bursaries,” said Kawira.
According to Kawira, Meru County government has money set aside for bursaries, but officials are nowhere to be found in communities distributing bursaries from the Sh145 million it receives each year.
“When I visited Antubochiu, I met over 100 members of the community who were requesting bursaries. Among them are those who after completing Form 4 who require certificates, youths who require licenses, and people with disabilities who want to enroll in a tailoring course,” said kawira.
“I visited the Andula community group because I care about them. The chairman and group leaders told me that I gave them money and it is because I heard their cries. They informed me that their pipes had been damaged and that they had been suffering for a long time due to a lack of water,” said Kawira.
Kawira said that despite the fact that the department of water was not her responsibility, she rushed through her plans and donated a cash grant of Sh300,000 to the group.
When I have a moment of silence in Nairobi, I decide to return to Meru County to protect the Meru Child. Kawira Mwangaza was named the best performing woman representative in Kenya, out of 47 counties.
Kiraitu’s government and the MCA are responsible for the water department. If an MCA believes I have criticized them by speaking the truth, he should inform the members of the community about the community’s perennial water shortages. The MCA and Kiraitu are responsible for the majority of road construction projects.
While meeting the members of the group, I overheard them asking for bursaries. How I wish God would grant me the position of Governor so that I could educate all of the children. In a given year, my office is only given 30 students to award bursaries in a constituency.
I award bursaries based on public participation rather than favors. When I visit a community in a constituency and am confronted with 40 students, I am at a loss for words because I lack funds.
When the national government’s funds run out, I rely on church offerings to educate children. I have 15 students at home who I educate with my own money.
I decided that even if I had nothing, I would still visit the community and distribute what little I had. There’s no need to hide from the public because all I have to fear is for them to despise me later.
I stated that I would visit the communities and, after conducting a public participation, I would select one of the students to be awarded bursaries if only one slot was available due to limited resources. When I give cash grants to communities, we see the beneficiaries carry out development projects.
My office practices transparency, and I have placed printed documents at the entrance for members of the public who have questions about resource utilization.
I’m curious why the MCA and governor don’t disclose how the funds allocated to their offices are being spent, and this is why we disagree with them.
As the patron of a single ward in Meru County, my office is allocated Ksh 800,000 per year. The funds are budgeted for cash grants, bursaries, fuel, boda boda operators, school uniforms, and the donation of tents, lockers, and chairs to schools.
After deducting the Sh 300,000 cash grant given to the Andula Umoja 3 project in Kiegeoi ward, I am left with Ksh 500,000. After factoring in bursaries to educate students, I’m left with Ksh 250,000.
We disagree with other leaders because I have asked them to explain how the Sh20M allocated to the MCA’s office per year, Sh30M allocated to the MP’s office in a ward per year, and the Sh200M allocated to the Governor’s office in a ward per year are spent.
There is nothing wrong with revealing the truth, but they regard me as a thorn in the flesh, and I have stated that I will push them to the end because I will not sit and watch the Meru child cry. I’m not going to stop exposing them, and I’m not afraid because if I was, Kiraitu would have finished me long ago.
Kiraitu came across a brave woman, who was dressed in shielded attire by the women of Meru County, a cap by the men of Meru County, and guarded by the youth of Meru County.
I have no beef with anyone, but I’d like to point out that my office has a limited capacity. When the mileage of the cars assigned to my office is compared to that of other leaders in Meru County, it is clear that they are used to traversing Meru County, whereas the others are always heading to Nairobi.
None of Kenya’s 47 female leaders have visited the Mashinani, as Kawira has. People wonder why I’m stuck in the villages because I haven’t left the Mashinani since the first week I was elected. It’s why I’ve been able to educate so many children.
I have educated over 7,000 children who face challenges and those living with disabilities. With the little money my office receives, I have helped an infinite number of women’s and youth groups.
I have a request for the residents of Meru County because they overwhelmingly elected me to office in the last elections. At the time, the Andula Umoja 3 project did not exist.
I urge residents to vote for me as Governor on August 9, 2022, so that I can serve in an office with ample resources. We have a problem with one man named Kiraitu alias King’ang’I, and I’d like to inform him that we will send him home on August 9, 2022.
Kawira said that Meru County residents will send Kiraitu home because they expected him to allocate Sh5 million for water, but he didn’t show up and instead stashed the money.
She said the funds used to fund development projects by Kawira Mwangaza’s office were not derived from the sweat of others, but rather from the office’s budget allocation.
