Kilifi County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Education and ICT Felkin Kaingu and Education Chief Officer Lerryin Kitema during a performance evaluation meeting for a section of beneficiaries of the Kilifi County full scholarship fund in Kilifi town. Photo by Ben Okweingoti. 
By Ben Okweingoti
Parents in Kilifi County have received a major relief after more than 2,000 Grade 10 learners were admitted into the county’s full scholarship programme.
The Kilifi County Government has this year allocated Sh150 million for full scholarships targeting bright but needy students joining Grade 10 after excelling in the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA), according to Education and ICT County Executive Committee Member (CECM) Felkin Kaingu.
Speaking during the announcement, Kaingu said the Sh150 million allocation caters exclusively for students joining national schools, while an additional Sh350 million has been set aside under the ward-based scholarship fund—bringing the county’s total education scholarship budget to Sh500 million.
“The full scholarship budget is Sh150 million for national schools alone, and we also have a Sh350 million ward scholarship fund. This brings the total scholarship allocation to Sh500 million,” Kaingu said.
He emphasized that the programme will be sustained beyond the tenure of Governor Gideon Mung’aro to ensure continuity and guarantee uninterrupted education for deserving learners across the county.
“We will continue with this full scholarship programme even beyond the term of Governor Gideon Mung’aro. We want it to be a continuous project so that all deserving learners in Kilifi County can pursue their education without hitches,” he added.
The scholarship targets orphans, learners from single-parent households, children living with disabilities, and those from low-income families. However, beneficiaries must have attained a minimum of 61 points in the KJSEA examinations to qualify.
In addition to secondary education support, Kaingu announced that the county has allocated Sh57 million for Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE), effectively scrapping school fees for ECDE learners.
“To nurture education from a tender age, the county will pay Sh900 for each and every ECDE learner so they can start their education on a strong foundation,” he said.
Parents have welcomed the initiative, describing it as transformative for vulnerable households. Samuel Mumba, whose daughter is a beneficiary and continuing student under the programme, said the scholarship has brought immense relief to families struggling to afford school fees.
“This programme started three years ago and it has really helped families from extremely poor backgrounds. If it is true that it will support learners all the way to university, then we will be very happy as residents and feel that devolution is truly working,” Mumba said.
Meanwhile, Governor Mung’aro’s political advisor, Nickson Muramba, acknowledged that delays in disbursement of funds from the National Treasury had previously posed challenges to the programme. However, he said the county had put measures in place to ensure learning is not disrupted.
“When we started the programme, there were challenges with disbursement of funds. We addressed this by engaging head teachers and school administrations, who agreed to be patient whenever there are delays. We issue official commitment letters to assure schools of payment,” Muramba explained.
The scholarship initiative is part of Kilifi County’s broader efforts to expand access to education and cushion vulnerable families from the rising cost of schooling.
