Makueni: Over 200 students in Makueni County have been mentored into becoming competent and responsible leaders with respect to society values through the Elimu Scholarship Programme (ESP) under the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation (JKF).
According to Kenya News Agency, among the students who went through the three days mentorship included 110 girls and 100 boys, enabling them to access comprehensive secondary and senior schools respectively. The Programme, themed ‘From Potential To Purpose; Inspiring Excellence, Leadership and Impact,’ targets bright children from extreme poverty, those with special needs, and marginalized communities. It provides school fees, shopping kits, transport, pocket money, and uniforms, besides offering mentorship and psychological support.
‘Through the mentorship, the students were mentored on character development, career goals, goal setting, and transitioning to tertiary institutions, imparting them with knowledge to make them have good values and gain confidence to be respectable leaders in society,’ said JKF Manager Internal Audit and Risk Management Pius Mwanzia Kyambi during the mentorship at Makueni Boys High School Wote town in Makueni Subcounty on Thursday. ‘Also, through the programme, the government intends to address the lack of relevant market capabilities by ensuring the students acquire skills and competencies needed in the labour market,’ added Kyambi, who is also the Coordinator of the programme in the County.
While urging the students to be focused on their studies to realise their full potential, Kyambi observed that they are also being prepared to face the new environment once they join universities for higher learning in the country. The Programme, initiated in 2023, is currently supporting over 24,000 students. It is funded by the World Bank among other institutions.
The Makueni Sub-county Director of Education, Richard Ng’ang’a, challenged the students to be disciplined and be good ambassadors in society as they focus on their education. While asking them to work closely with parents, guardians, and teachers, Ng’ang’a further told them to work hard, so as to realise their full potential in a bid to achieve in their performance in the 2026 examinations. ‘I urge the beneficiaries to be disciplined in view that their potential and vision is fully realised in the performance in the national examinations in 2026,’ said Ng’ang’a, Thursday, while closing the three-days training.
