President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday presided over the launch of a doctoral scholarship programme named after him which is fully sponsored by the Chinese Government.
The Aspire to the Zenith: President Uhuru Kenyatta Doctoral Scholarships Programme that will benefit at least a hundred Kenyans is coordinated by the Directorate of the Confucius Institute at Egerton University, Njoro.
President Kenyatta presented the scholarship awards to the first 18 beneficiaries at the function held at State House, Nairobi.
He said the scholarship symbolises the cordial relationship between Kenya and China which has blossomed for centuries.
“The Sino-Kenyan relationship stands as a towering example of how two nations, continents apart, can forge bonds of unity and cooperation,” said the President.
He commended the close link between Kenyan universities and Chinese institutes of higher learning which is focused on boosting the full spectrum of Kenya’s education sector.
The President said the scholarship programme fits seamlessly into the Government’s Big Four Agenda.
The Scholarship Programme will offer 60 Kenyans direct admission into PhD Training in the fields of agriculture and engineering, with 40 of their peers entering at the Masters Degree level for Doctoral Studies.
“These initial 100 Kenyans will undoubtedly return home well-equipped to trigger advances in Agriculture that will promote Job Creation and Food Security,” said the President.
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Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said the scholarships will boost Kenya’s efforts to become food secure since they are agriculture and technology related.
China’s Ambassador in Kenya Dr Liu Xianfa and the director of the Confucius Institute at Egerton Prof Mohamed Abdille also spoke at the function.
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