The Kakamega County Government and the African Canadian Continuing study Society (ACCES) in Kenya will invest Sh41.7 million scholarship funds to support 100 students for four years of higher study.
The charity has given the chosen students a first cheque in the amount of Sh10,425,000 so they may enrol in the institutions and universities of their choosing.
Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa stated, “For a period of 30 years, ACCES Kenya has supported over 4000 talented but underprivileged students from Western Kenya to pursue their studies, and an alumni foundation has been formed to help new scholars.
Speaking as the Sh10.4 million cash was presented, Barasa stated that the organisation provides scholarships to 100 students each year, with this year’s cohort including 63 students from Kakamega and a total of 37 from Bungoma, Busia, and Vihiga Counties.
“A total of 937 students applied for the scholarship; following a rigorous process, the selection team vetted 250 candidates and ultimately selected 100. Currently, the scholarship project is helping 11 Kakamega County residents pursue higher education abroad,” he continued.
Barasa expressed his gratitude to ACCES Kenya for giving deserving students the chance to further their education and achieve their potential.
He urged the recipients to take advantage of the chance to become a bright example for Kakamega County and the surrounding area, reassuring them that there are always work possibilities for the most deserving members of society.
“We live in an extremely competitive world, but these young people with us today are already on the better side of that competition,” he said.
The governor said that in addition to the award, which is now known as the Barasa Jamii Community award, the Kakamega County government provides complete scholarships for all of their university studies to 12 students, one from each sub-county.
“This has been a method to generate dependable, well-trained labour in the fields of medical, engineering, and information technology in addition to assisting talented and deserving students. Our goal as a government is to generate a large enough pool of employable young people who will aid in the growth of our nation, he said.
While urging other partners to join forces through a Memorandum of Understanding to help the county’s development activities, Barasa stated that the county administration will continue to support the scholars till the completion of their studies.
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The governor also encouraged the federal government to take basic and secondary education into consideration. We’ve been talking, and one thing we’ve requested is that elementary and secondary education be devolved, he said. “We are the ones on the ground, and we feel the heat and the pinch of those vulnerable families,” he said.
According to Barasa, county governments are required to oversee polytechnics and early childhood development centres (ECDE), but in some instances, counties have had to provide financial aid to pupils attending elementary, high school, and university schools.
To ensure that worthy students have the chance to learn, he urged the University Funding Board and the Higher Education Loans Board to offer a fair opportunity.
He said, “We all know that the government has changed the funding paradigm for higher education, and we know that the pioneer group is really anxious because they are unsure of how the information they are providing will convert into bursaries and scholarships.
In honour of the organization’s 30 years of providing aid to those in need, ACCES Kenya Advisory Board Chair Pape Sembi called for additional partners to join forces to boost kids’ access to education.
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About African Canadian Continuing Education Society (ACCES)
The African Canadian Continuing Education Society (ACCES) is a registered charity that has provided scholarships to underprivileged Post Secondary students in Kenya since 1993. Most of our scholars join the ACCES Alumni Association (AAA) to support new students, and some of our scholars have come back to work as staff in our Kakamega Kenya office, where they run the office and award scholarships.