The Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Foundation has commenced the selection of students for the KCB Scholarship Programme who will receive full scholarships to join Form One 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 Friday, December 22, 2023, across the counties.
A statement to Newsrooms indicates that 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 marginalised 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 with the candidates as well as conducting background checks through home visits,” she added.
Other than school fees, the comprehensive scholarship package offers support for personal effects, transport, shopping, pocket money stipends, learning materials, and assistive devices for students with disabilities. 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 way 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 community,” she added.
Launched in 2007, the scholarship programme has so far benefited 4,675 students, with 2,715 currently in school. With a secondary completion rate of 99 per cent and a university transition rate of 84 per cent, the programme continues to be a flagship KCB Group initiative to address existing challenges that prevent many students from furthering their education.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
