The KCB Foundation has commenced the selection of students for the KCB Scholars Programme who will receive fully paid scholarships to join Form 1 across the country.
The interviews to pick the targeted 1,000 learners were done on Friday and Saturday. The KCB Foundation has commenced home verification visits from today, to run through Friday December 22, 2023, across the counties.
The successful candidates will be notified by January 10, 2024.
The programme is targeting bright and economically underprivileged students from across the 47 counties in Kenya who sat for their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) in 2023. The selection also includes 100 slots for marginalized groups of students and Persons With Disability (PWD).
To qualify, candidates must have met the county-specific cut-off points and demonstrate they come from an economically disadvantaged background, among other prescribed criteria. The scholarship covers the full 4-year secondary education period and 4 years of post-secondary education.
“We are seeing massive interest in the programme. The Foundation continues to play a critical role in safeguarding the right to education for learners who would otherwise have dropped out of school for lack of school fees. We are also keen to improve the transition rate from primary to secondary school while increasing the employability of candidates upon completion of their education,” said KCB Foundation Director Mendi Njonjo.
This marks the 17th year since the Foundation started offering scholarships.
“We are keen to constantly improve the selection process to ensure only the most deserving students are onboarded to the program. The process includes conducting interviews of the candidates as well as conducting background checks through home visits,” she added.
Other than school fees payment, the comprehensive scholarship package offers support for personal effects and transport, shopping, and pocket money stipend, learning materials and assistive devices for students with disability. It also supports school uniforms for students in Forms 1 and 3.
It further offers quarterly one-on-one mentorship sessions and an annual holiday mentorship programme, in addition to internship and employment opportunities during and after university studies.
“We will go the whole journey with the selected students to ensure they get a wholesome education experience not just through their schooling but also to build their life skills as productive members of the communities,” she added.
Launched in 2007, the scholarship programme has so far benefitted 4,675 students, with 2,715 currently in school. With a secondary completion rate of 99% and a university transition rate of 84%, the programme continues to be a flagship KCB Group initiative to address existing challenges that prevent many students from furthering their education.
