Kwale County October 18, 2021 – 20 bright students from Matuga Constituency in Kwale County were given a reason to smile after Bamburi Cement awarded them secondary school scholarship funding to ensure that they are able to advance their education opportunities. The students who originate from the Mwachome and Denyenye Communities were selected through an Academic talent identification program that assures transparency and equity.

For many years, the Coast Region has recorded a high number of students being unable to fully transition to secondary school due to high poverty levels, teenage pregnancies and cases of early marriages with parents counting on the bride price to feed their families. Bamburi Cement’s Scholarship programme is among the company’s various sustainability initiatives meant to empower marginalized communities in areas where the firm has operations.

Mwalaini Salim, 15, who scored 253 marks in her KCPE, has been admitted to Tsimba Secondary School, a national school in Kwale County. However, he was not sure he would continue his studies because his mother could not afford the fees. “I have never met my father and my mother is not rich. She struggled to pay my school fees when I was in primary school. So when I passed my KCPE exams and got an admission letter, I did not know what to do,” he said.

He remembered his teachers talking about Bamburi Cement sponsoring students who score the highest marks and those being selected to join national schools. “This motivated me to work harder in school in order to get the scholarship and relieve my parents of the heavy burden. I passed the exams and my family is proud,” he said. Getting the scholarship means that Bamburi Cement will cover the full cost of annual tuition fees, uniform and back to school shopping.

While emphasising the importance of academic excellence, Bamburi Cement’s CEO – Seddiq Hassani said, “By investing in local human capital, Bamburi Cement is investing in the future of Kwale County and Kenya more broadly. The Bamburi Scholarship Program stems from our desire to give back to communities that form an integral part of our operations. It is designed to improve literacy levels within the community, instills a sense of civic responsibility and provide learning opportunities to academically gifted students from disadvantaged backgrounds.”

Mwalaini, the seventh-born in a family of nine children, added that only two of his siblings have gone through primary school and were it not for the scholarship programme, he would have been forced to continue farming in order to supporting his siblings. “This award has given me the confidence to maintain high grades. I’m hoping that the government will consider sponsoring my university education so that I can study engineering,” he added.

In attendance was the Matuga Sub-County Deputy County Commissioner, Alexander Mativo who expressed relief saying that the scholarship intervention is timely and significantly reduces the school fees burden and brings the community closer to achieving 100 percent primary to secondary school transition