Just days after Nairobi Governor Johnston Sakaja announced that he will issue bursary forms to the 85 wards in the city, complaints have emerged in Umoja 2 Ward that the forms are being auctioned to the highest bidders.
In a Facebook post seen in Embakasi West Celebrities group, area residents have accused MCA Shadrack Machanje’s cronies of hawking the bursary cheques and asking for money in return.
A woman named Franciine Kansime claimed that the forms were being sold in a very chaotic exercise.
The residents want the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) and the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to probe how the Kshs 6 million bursaries were issued.
A source who did not want to be named claimed that the MCA’s wife Purity Cheno was dishing out the bursary cheques from her house.
His barely literate Personal Assistant and fellow tribesman Jackline Nangami is also said to be insulting benefactors who sponsored the MCA during his numerous court battles by claiming; “Sasa tuko kwa Serikali wafanye vile wanataka”.
Machanje, a former tout, came to the limelight after being engaged in a protracted Court battle with the former Joseph Ndonji.
His win captured the imagination of many as he rose from a garbage collector to MCA in an exercise where he was supported by ‘mama mbogas’.
However, his aides denied that they were selling the forms.
In 2020 detectives from DCI shone the spotlight on 20 ward representatives from Nairobi County, who are said to have used their positions to siphon millions of shillings meant for bursaries for needy students.
The governor said the bursary checks at the ward level will be issued to the MCAs at the start of every school term.
Sakaja said he will follow up to have the amount disbursed in form of bursaries enhanced to help the students better because there are more children per capita in Nairobi that in other counties.
