Kajiado, October 6, 2021 – Bamburi Cement has awarded deserving students from Kajiado County with full tuition scholarships for secondary education as part of the company’s commitment to the community by empowering the youth and marginalized through education and upskilling programs

The students were identified through a competitive process and selections were made based on performance and needy backgrounds. The scholarships will cater for tuition fees, accommodation and transport.

Speaking today during the awarding ceremony, Johnson Macharia, Plant Manager of Bamburi Cement’s Nairobi Grinding Plant said, “Investment in youth generates long term security, future shared prosperity, stability and growth. Bamburi is committed to empowering the youth to have a cutting edge advantage to compete fairly in the Kenyan and global labor markets.”

According to Kajiado County Education Department, enrolment at early childhood education and vocational training institutions stands at 56 percent. Despite the decline in FGM, early marriages, and impressive performances recorded from Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination results, many students in Kajiado County are unable to further their education due to financial constraints amidst widespread poverty. The Kenya government recently set aside Kshs 8billion for the expansion of infrastructure facilities to secondary schools, however other expenses such as uniform and other supplies remain a challenge for many parents and caregivers living in marginalised communities.

Senior Chief of Olosirkon Location in Kajiado County said, “There is nothing more discouraging than for a student to perform well in primary school only to herd cattle due to lack of school fees or early marriages.” He further urged parents of the beneficiaries to continue following up on the students’ performance as opposed to relaxing since the children have been awarded schorlaships.

Addressing parents and beneficiaries of the program, Mr. Macharia mentioned that, “Bamburi has a long term commitment to partner and work with local communities where it operates to support their progress. Over the years we have anchored all our operations towards implementing social initiatives that aim to close the needs gap and enhance the environs quality of life, and we are very excited to be expanding the education pillar of our social investments through launch of these scholarships, which we will be rolling out across other communities in our neighbourhoods.”

Bamburi Cement’s Social initiatives for the benefit of the community is anchored on four pillars namely – Housing and Infrastructure, Education and Upskilling; Health and Safety; and Environment and Biodiversity conservation where it runs different programs. “Our plans for the Bamburi scholarship programme is to reach needy students across our counties of operation and support according to the needs we identify. We will in the next few weeks be launching the same in Kwale County. The idea is to fast track the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities to address the barriers which have for long restricted those living in underserved regions from advancing their roles in the society,” he added.