By Amenya Ochieng
Lamu East MP Captain Ruweida Obo has called on parents and guardians to ensure their children remain in school, warning that lack of education fuels unemployment, early marriages, and crime in the constituency.
Speaking during the Patte Girls High School Prize Giving Day held yesterday evening, the MP emphasized that education is the only pathway to improving living standards in Lamu East and breaking the cycle of poverty affecting many families.
“It is only through education that the standards of living for those living in Lamu East will improve and reduce the state of joblessness and early marriages,” Captain Ruweida said before a gathering of education stakeholders and community members.
The MP expressed particular concern about rising crime levels in Patte Island, cautioning that lack of educational opportunities could push youth toward violent extremism.
“Parents and guardians must ensure that their children go to school to reduce crime, especially within Patte Island, which can also lead to youths later joining violent extremist groups,” she warned.
Captain Ruweida revealed that students from Lamu East are receiving substantial financial support through bursaries, with the national government providing Kshs 7,000 per student through the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF), while the county government contributes Kshs 10,000 for each learner.
“There is goodwill on the government’s part to ensure that no child drops out of school, and thus parents and guardians should do their part,” the MP said, urging families to take advantage of the available support.
The ceremony was graced by National Assembly Speaker Rt. Hon. Moses Wetangula as chief guest, alongside Budalangi MP Hon. Rafael Wanjala, Lamu County Women Representative Hon. Muthoni Marubu, Hon. Hassan Albeity, and Hon. Raya Famau.
Also present were the TSC County Director, County Director of Education Lamu, Sub County Director of Education, TSC Sub County Director, Lamu East Deputy County Commissioner and his provincial administration team, the Sub County Administrator, and all principals from Lamu East Constituency.
In a major boost to the school, Speaker Wetang’ula announced a personal donation of Kshs 500,000 toward the teachers’ welfare account. Hon. Wanjala contributed Kshs 100,000, Hon. Marubu gave Kshs 100,000, and MP Ruweida added another Kshs 100,000 to support teacher morale.
Teachers were also rewarded with gas cylinders for their exemplary performance, while 15 laptops were distributed to university students who scored C+ and above in their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations.
The school received a Kshs 2 million grant for refurbishment, signaling a major investment in improving learning infrastructure.
In a gesture of community empowerment, residents from Patte, Mtangawanda, and Bahamisi villages received gas cylinders through their self-help groups under a women’s empowerment program supported by President William Ruto.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula in his remarks as the chief guest conveyed the President’s commitment to ensuring better security for economic development in the region and promised that development would reach Lamu East at the same pace as other parts of the country.
“I have requested that a railway be constructed from Lamu port to Mariakani to boost employment in the area,” the Speaker announced.
He also pledged to provide one scholarship for a student to study abroad and promised to lobby for more presidential scholarships for youth in Lamu County.
Additionally, the Speaker committed to engaging the Principal Secretary for ICT to provide computers for the school’s recently constructed computer laboratory.
The Speaker expressed support for the NG-CDF as a vital tool for grassroots development and urged residents to embrace negotiated democracy, ensuring county leadership positions are distributed across ethnic lines.
He praised MP Ruweida’s parliamentary performance and called on residents to re-elect her while rallying support for President Ruto’s development agenda.
