125 students land Russian scholarships

By Athman Amran

The future looks bright for 125 students after landing full scholarships in Medicine and Engineering in Russian universities.

The six-year study will be funded by various universities.

On Friday, Information Minister Samuel Poghisio and former Finance Minister Amos Kimunya saw off the second batch of 37 students at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Kimunya is the patron of the Universal Education Trust Fund (UETF), which awarded the scholarships.

Among the universities offering the scholarships are Saratov State University, Ryazan State I P Pavlov University, and Nizhny Novgorod State University.

The first batch of 70 students left last week while visas for 18 others are being prepared.

Kimunya said the UETF scholarship programme was launched in September last year.

"So far, we have sent 188 students to Russian universities," he said.

He noted that the beneficiaries are straight-A students.

Poghisio said Russia had become a popular destination for Kenyan students.

"Few students have been going to Russia in the past, but this is a new beginning," he said.

This year, UETF has sponsored 1,083 students in primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities. Businessmen Abdulwahid Haji Yerrow and Twalib Hatayan established the fund in 2000.