Uhuru lauds Equity’s scholarship programme as 2,000 benefit

By NGARI GICHUKI and MAUREEN ABWAO

NAIROBI, KENYA: Two thousand needy students will benefit from the Equity’s Wings to Fly scholarships that will see them access secondary education.

The award of scholarships was on Tuesday presided over by President Uhuru Kenyatta at the Safaricom Gymnasium in Nairobi.

Although 30,000 applicants applied for the scholarships, only 2,000 were selected.

President Kenyatta lauded the initiative, saying education was the best investment a nation can make to build a good socio-economic environment.

He also called for partnerships between private and public institutions in education so as to provide more opportunities that will see more needy students access education.

Equity Chief Executive Officer James Mwangi said the bank, together with its partners – the Master Card Foundation, USAid and UKAid – were working to expand the number of students benefiting from the programme from the current 2,000 to 10,000 by 2015.

MORE STAKEHOLDERS

Mr Mwangi called on more stakeholders to come on board and contribute to the initiative that aims at transforming the lives of young people.

He further stated the bank not only offers education, but also internship opportunities, which serve as stepping stones to more opportunities in the job market.

The Wings to Fly initiative was launched in 2009 with only an intake of 166 beneficiaries. To date, the programme has seen more than 15,000 scholars achieve secondary school education and an internship opportunity at Equity Bank.

This year, the bank is sending 11 students to international universities across the world.