Family Bank CEO Rebecca Mbithi.(James Wanzala, Standard)

The Family Group Foundation has scaled up its secondary school scholarships kitty to Sh60 million for needy students joining Form One in January.

The 2023 scholarship programme will benefit 290 students from 32 counties.

The students will receive full scholarships that will cater for tuition, accommodation, school uniforms and upkeep.

They will also be mentored in academics, personal development and careers.

"Going into 2023, we have purposed to not only expand the kitty but also expand the counties that benefit from this programme from 14 to 32 counties," said Family Bank Chief Executive Rebecca Mbithi (pictured).

Since 2012, the Foundation has awarded high school scholarships to more than 1,000 beneficiaries countrywide and invested over Sh250 million in the education sector.

"As a bank, we are confident that these scholarships go a long way in helping the government achieve 100 per cent transitioning of students to the 1.24 million students who sat for their Kenya Primary School Education Assessment this year," said Ms Mbithi.

The minimum entry point to the scholarship will be 350 marks attained in the 2022 Kenya Certificate for Primary Education (KCPE) exam.

The 290 beneficiaries will be primarily selected, interviewed and recruited through a participatory approach involving a county-based Scholarship Selection Panel comprising representatives from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior, County Government and Children's Services Department, Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association and faith-based leaders in the counties.