KEF empowers 161 needy students with high school and college scholarships

Kenya Education Fund country director Francis Ng'ang'a.

A total of 161 needy students from across the country have received scholarships to pursue their high school education.

The students will join 600 others who are currently in schools and over 4,000 alumni who have benefited from the programme.

The initiative is spearheaded by the Kenya Education Fund (KEF), a non-governmental organization that aims to provide quality education for financially underprivileged Kenyans.

KEF Country Director Francis Ng'ang'a, said the scholarship covers four years of high school and one year of university or college.

"We pick students from all over the country and we do not discriminate as long as the student is needy and meets the mark cutoff point of 320," he said during the award ceremony in Nairobi on Sunday, January 14.

He added that the initiative is part of KEF's longstanding commitment to addressing the root causes of poverty, gender-based violence, and injustice.

"Each of the 161 students will benefit from a comprehensive scholarship package covering school tuition, room and board, uniform and shoes, textbooks, scientific calculators, sanitary pads, exam fees, and participation in KEF workshops," said Ng'ang'a.

Ng'ang'a noted that the support aims not only to facilitate academic success but also to ensure the holistic development of the students.

One of the beneficiaries, Vanessa Wairimu, who scored 402 marks in the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), expressed her gratitude and said she wants to be a surgeon in future.

"I am happy and I thank God for this opportunity. I am joining Mary Hill Girls High School and I would like to be a surgeon in future," she said.