Kenya Marine Fisheries and Socio-Economic Development Project (KEMFSED) has donated over Sh18 million to sponsor secondary and college students from poor families in Kilifi County to pursue education.
The KEMFSED project funded by the World Bank has benefitted 130 students in different categories including those pursuing certificate courses in vocational training institutes and students pursuing diploma courses at different colleges.
Speaking during the issuance of the funds, Kilifi County Government officials led by Kilifi KEMFSED Project Coordinator Lucy Kapombe said the number of young people missing out on secondary and college education due to poverty in Kilifi County is still high adversely affecting social and economic development in the county.
Although education sponsorship is not the mandate of the Project, Ms Kapombe said it will go a long way to empower the youth to contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of the county, fulfilling one of their goals.
She disclosed that the beneficiaries will be guided to study selected courses that will equip them with highly demanded skills in the labour market for self-employment.
“We have helped the beneficiaries to pick courses that we prioritise as a county; courses in health, fisheries, environmental management, and planning, that will help us in handling the challenges that we face as a county,” Kapombe explained.
Kilifi County Executive Committee (CEC) Member for Blue Economy Chula Mwagona said the need for educational support is high but the government has put in place strategies including awarding of scholarships to bright students and bringing on board more partners to ensure all students join secondary schools, colleges, and universities.
“Many parents are not financially able to cater for their children’s education needs. Given this challenge, the county government has put in place various strategies to ensure that vulnerable students are awarded scholarships,” Mwagona said.
The CEC for Education, Felkin Kaingu lauded the efforts done by the KEMFSED project saying they have highly complemented the county government’s efforts to improve education standards in the region.
Kaingu disclosed that the extreme poverty faced by families in some parts of Kilifi County has been a big challenge even to students who have received full scholarships as parents lack funds to fund school shopping or provide bus fares to their children.
“As a county, we are continuing to look for more sponsors to assist vulnerable students get access to education because we have observed that the poverty rate in Kilifi is still very high.
Even as we roll out scholarships, many parents cannot afford to buy uniforms or provide fare for their children to get to school,” Kaingu remarked.
KEMFSED project is implemented by the government through the State Department for Blue Economy and Fisheries to support the country’s efforts to leverage emerging opportunities in the Blue Economy. The project is expected to run up to the year 2025 with funding amounting to Sh10 billion.
By Jackson Msanzu
