Lurambi MP Titus Khamala addressing journalists at his residence at Shibuli village on Sunday/IMAGE /HILTON OTENYO
Lurambi MP Titus Khamala has criticised the government's renewed bid to have school fees paid via e-Citizen, saying the move is overambitious and risks causing massive dropouts.
Khamala said payment of fees digitally will lead to high school dropouts because the model through which parents, especially those in day schools, engage principals in fee payment is not compatible with e-Citizen.
He said parents should be allowed to continue paying fees through the current format, where they negotiate with the management of schools on how to keep their children in class.
“I live in Kenya, and I also run a school. This e-Citizen payment is not practical. Let’s not be over-ambitious. The time will come,” Khamala said.
Khamala said parents should engage with schools on the mode of paying fees that is convenient to both.
“If you insist on e-Citizen and some parents pay fees by supplying firewood and cereals, how are they going to pay?” he posed.
The lawmaker said that centralising payment of fees will not eliminate corruption.
He said shifting to the e-Citizen platform will make bursaries’ transactions by the NG-CDF cumbersome and costly.
“How shall we transact. We’re used to writing cheques and wiring money. That’s just a thought and should remain as such,” he said.
“We don’t even have a structure that would guarantee that what’s happening is foolproof. The money can even be stolen through the digital platforms,” he added.
Khamala announced that the Lurambi NG-CDF will release this year’s bursaries by the end of the month.
He attributed the delays in disbursements of NG-CDF bursaries in the constituency to a local agreement with head teachers and reporting by Grade 10 learners.
“It was the agreement by teachers that parents be left to struggle with the fee in the first term and NG-CDF be released in the second term to help keep students in class without interruption,” he said.
The Lurambi NG-CDF is set to disburse Sh65million in bursaries to 22,000 beneficiaries this financial year.
“Principals should expect the money in their accounts by the end of the month or at the latest, the first week of June,” he said.
He explained that the delay was meant to allow the admission of new students.
“Unlike in the past when schools set cut-off marks for the transition from one level to the next, in Grade 10, the transition is expected to be 100 per cent, and you can’t know how many are coming until they report,” he said.
