Some 22 Kenyan students have received scholarships worth $7.5 million (Sh997 million) from North American universities in a move facilitated by the Kenya Scholar Access Program (KenSAP).
The students were among the top performers in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) class of 2023 from underprivileged backgrounds across all the counties.
KenSAP is a university access programme in Africa that provides access to world-class higher education for high-achieving Kenyan high school graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The students will study at renowned global learning institutions including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Amherst, Brown, Claremont McKenna, Colgate, Dartmouth, Davidson, Hamilton, Middlebury, Northwestern, Smith, Tufts, University of Pennsylvania, University of Toronto, Wellesley and Williams.
The funding will cover the students' tuition, accommodation, meals, travel and other expenses.
“By providing these exceptional students with the resources they need, we are not only investing in their futures but also the future of the country,” said Charles Field-Marsham, the principal benefactor and chairman of KenSAP’s board of directors.
The students will also receive guidance, mentoring and support while at university. This financial support will ensure that the students can focus on their academic pursuits without the burden of financial constraints that most learners have to face.