Drama unfolded at Nairobi’s City Hall County offices after a group of Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) marched to Governor Johnson Sakaja’s office, threatening to demolish Controller of Budget (COB) Margaret Nyakang’o’s offices following her latest order barring counties from issuing bursaries worth billions to students across the country.
Footage obtained by Kenyans.co.ke showed the MCAs making their threats while asking for Sakaja’s input and guidance in light of Nyakang’o’s recent order.
“We want to talk to the Governor! Today is the day! Enough is enough! Nyakang’o must go! She has refused to give us money! She has no mercy towards the children of Nairobi and the children of Kenya! “ exclaimed a section of the MCAs.
Moments later, the footage showed Sakaja standing with the MCAs amused by the situation as it unfolded. “Your excellency the governor, fight for us! We are tired! Give us direction! If you tell us to go and demolish the COB’s office, we will go!”
The latest development comes after an extended tiff between the COB and the Council of Governors (CoG) after Nyakang’o stated that the jurisdiction to issue bursaries to needy students was under the national government and not counties.
This was met with fierce resistance from governors, who cited the aspect of social security, arguing that both levels of government were obligated to provide appropriate social security (education) to individuals who could not support themselves and their dependents.
Nyakang’o’s order barred counties from issuing bursaries to students in universities, tertiary educational institutions, primary schools, special education institutions, and secondary schools.
However, devolved units would have full authority to fund students in other levels of education, including pre-primary schools and village polytechnics.
For county governments wishing to provide bursaries to students in levels designated for the national government, due process is required.
This includes the formulation of an intergovernmental agreement executed by an authorised person, which must also be published in the Kenya Gazette.
The governors called for the immediate reversal of this directive, warning that they would resort to legal action if Nyakang’o failed to heed their demands.
Nyakang’o’s order came amid significant challenges in the implementation of the new university funding model, which has faced widespread backlash from relevant stakeholders.
