Kenya’s Education System Set To Receive Ksh4.2b From The US

Kenya’s Education System Set To Receive Ksh4.2b From The US

The investment also includes a $6.5 million (Sh852.4 million) new project in the country that will connect STEM graduates with jobs in fast-growing industries.

The US plans to invest nearly $32 million (Sh4.2 billion) in Kenya’s education sector to support new partnerships between the two countries’ universities and industries.

This is done to encourage innovation, research, and job growth in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields across the country.

The funding announcement was made during the strategic partnership signing event in Atlanta, United States, during President William Ruto’s four-day visit to the US.

The US expects the agreement signed on Tuesday to establish linkages, partnerships, exchange programs, and other relationships to share and develop Kenyan higher education institutions’ STEM, advanced manufacturing, and ICT capabilities.

It includes a commitment from Microsoft and the Mastercard Foundation to support STEM education through higher education partnerships, as well as a commitment from US universities to collaborate with Kenyan institutions to increase mutual capacity in related fields of study.

A portion of the investment, $850,000 (Sh111.5 million), will benefit the Edtech Africa initiative, a public-private partnership programme recommended by the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement (PAC-ADE).

This initiative aims to foster STEM collaborations among historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), the Open University of Kenya, Mastercard, and Microsoft.

It also includes a $6.5 million (Sh852.4 million) new project in the country aimed at connecting STEM graduates with jobs in fast-growing sectors such as information and communication technology, textiles, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The funding includes a new $24.5 million (Sh3.2 billion) early-grade literacy program to ensure that more Kenyans are equipped with the fundamental skills required to succeed in higher education.

The United States and Kenya commemorate 60 years of bilateral relations by recalling the positive and long-lasting impact of Kennedy-era assistance to help East Africans study in the United States, known as the student airlift.

The United States also announced the ‘Kennedy-Mboya Partnerships’, which will support a new 21st-century scholarship program focused on STEM as the field of the future.

The $3.3 million (Sh432.7 million) program aims to support the development and success of Kenya’s next generation of scientists, researchers, and engineers.

President Ruto expressed confidence that the initiative would also help to improve global security.

“Such a partnership would develop curricula closely aligned with industry requirements, equipping young people with essential skills in ICT, green technologies, renewable energy installation and sustainable construction practices,” he said.

He expressed concern about women’s persistent underrepresentation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, and hoped that the opportunities provided by the new partnership would help to address this.

The United States has had a long-standing partnership with Kenya, actively supporting the country as a pioneering force and regional innovation engine.

According to USAID, this new partnership in STEM education will prepare a generation of innovative Kenyan leaders to meet evolving market demands and advance the nation’s economic development.

The agreement was signed by USAID Counselor Clinton White and Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Mudavadi.

Ruto’s four-day visit to the United States focused on economic prosperity, trade and investment, defense cooperation, democracy and governance, multilateral and regional issues, and health cooperation.

Kenya’s Education System Set To Receive Ksh4.2b From The US