How food insecurity shatters students’ dreams in Kitui
By Paul Mutua, February 27, 2026As learners head back to school for the remaining half of the term on March 1, 2026, after break, emotional well-being gripped some 11,454 students from low-income families, orphans, maginalised and poverty-stricken in Mwingi West, Kitui County, after the government disbursed Ksh67 million in bursaries to retain them in various learning institutions until the end of the year and beyond.
Universal conditions in the homes of beneficiaries in junior secondary schools, tertiary institutions, and universities in the constituency reflect the magnitude of hunger and food insecurity in the arid and semi-arid region.
Testimonies from the vulnerable students and parents confirm that only one household in five is food-secure, and nearly half of all households are categorised as “food-insecure with both adult and child hunger”.
Evidence further indicated that parents often forgo food to prioritise their children.
Addressing the constituency secondary school principals and sub-county education officers during the launching of the distribution exercise of the bursaries at the Migwani Boys Secondary School, local MP Charles Nguna said the National Government-Constituency Development Fund gesture was a game changer in the lives of the vulnerable children whose destinies were blurred, and their future hangs in the balance.
“This signals a brighter future for the 11,000-plus beneficiaries in the 2025/2026 government’s financial year calendar,” Nguna said.
He said the students, who include the physically challenged, were selected from primary schools, secondary schools, and vocational training institutes to tertiary institutions and universities, adding that each student in the normal university will receive Ksh6,000, Ksh8,0000 to special universities, Ksh3,000 to normal vocational, Ksh5,000 to special vocational, Ksh4,500 to normal colleges, and Ksh6,000 to special colleges.
Other distributions went to boarding secondary schools receiving Ksh5,000, Ksh7,00 to special secondary schools, Ksh3,500 to day secondary and Ksh8,000 to special primary schools.
Nguna said cheques to tertiary level and secondary schools outside the constituency will be sent to respective institutions immediately.
High poverty levels
Kitui County experiences high poverty levels, with Mwingi North sub-county at 81.3 per cent, Kitui South at 74.2 per cent, and Kitui East at 73.4 per cent, the highest rates, severely influenced by water scarcity and reliance on subsistence agriculture.
Severe drought and famine in four hotspot wards in the county have led to the death of cattle and wildlife, slowed down economic growth and increased poverty levels among residents.
The National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), through the Towards Ending Drought Emergencies project (TWENDE), moved with speed to intervene to avert human deaths and sensitise the community on food security and grazing management laws.
The hardest hit wards are Tseikuru, Kyuso, Tharaka and Ngomeni in Mwingi North constituency. These areas are highly vulnerable to climate stress due to their high exposure and low adaptive capacities.
Reports by NDMA say that more than 15,000 households in the four wards and another 19 wards out of 40 in the expansive county are in dire need of relief food and water supplies.
Water scarcity in the semi-arid county has affected many families, with most of them walking long distances to fetch water from the dwindling, dry water points.
Many primary pupils and other scholars are forced to skip learning to draw water from the community-based earth dams owing to the ongoing dry spell.
Nguna said the bursary programme in his constituency was done in a transparent manner aimed at improving the learners’ access to quality education. He said the initiative has boosted transition rates and improved retention and completion rates, thereby improving living standards for many.
“It is a defining moment for a child whose future could not be determined by many surrounding factors. The Sh67 million bursary will write a new beginning for a vulnerable soul. I thank President William Ruto and his administration for this far and hope it will be maintained for prosperity now and in the future,” he added.