This archive report was first published on 10 November 2019.
November 10, 2019, marked a special day for Kenya as two of its athletes made history in the men's and women's marathons. Eliud Kipchoge ran under two hours in Vienna, while Brigid Kosgei broke a 16-year-old women's world marathon record in Chicago. Their achievements sparked national pride, but Kenya's excellence extends beyond athletics.
Education is a field where Kenyans consistently outperform the world. With top-class education, Kenyans are becoming leaders in business, academics, and technology at home and abroad. As Benjamin Franklin once said, 'An investment in education pays the highest interest.'
However, the path to accessing world-class education has been challenging for gifted students from economically disadvantaged families and marginalized areas. The high costs involved have often been a barrier to entry. But, in recent years, several organizations have invested in helping these students gain access to top-tier institutions.
One such organization is the Kenya Scholar Access Programme (KenSAP), which has been helping Kenya's outstanding and disadvantaged high school graduates earn full scholarships to world-leading universities since its inception 15 years ago. To date, KenSAP has placed 197 students from across the 47 counties in top-tier North American universities, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT.
The programme has expanded to include scholars from other countries in the region, including Tanzania, Rwanda, Somalia, and South Sudan. Notably, despite their disadvantaged backgrounds, these scholars are succeeding at these highly competitive institutions. Sixteen are pursuing doctoral studies, dozens have earned master's degrees, and many more have gained vital qualifications and experience working at world-leading companies and organizations.
Many graduates are bringing their qualifications and experience back to Kenya, working here or starting their own businesses. The programme works with over 30 companies operating in Kenya that employ KenSAP graduates for internships and full-time positions. KenSAP is privately funded, mainly by donors from abroad, but the programme is steadily increasing its support from businesses and institutions in Kenya.
Charles Field-Marsham, a Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist, joined KenSAP in 2005 as its principal funder and chairman. He notes that the programme's alumni have become significant contributors, and the focus of this year's fundraising drive is to increase support from businesses and institutions in Kenya.
