Lack of funds for tuition has been a major stumbling block that kills people’s dreams of acquiring higher educational qualifications. This is made even worse by the exorbitant costs associated with acquiring an education in the East African country of Kenya which often deters aspiring students from going in pursuit of their dreams. However, there are ways to solve these problems and still get the education/certificate you want. It does not matter whether your wish is to enroll or continue with an ongoing degree, there are a plethora of scholarships that can assist people in paying for their education in full. A tried and trusted way of getting access to the best scholarship grants and awards in Kenya is through the country’s Ministry of Education (MoE). Kenyan Ministry of Education scholarships are made available to candidates who wish to pursue a Bachelor’s degree program, a Master’s, or even a Ph.D. degree.
For this piece, we have assembled the top 10 Kenyan Ministry of Education scholarships and interested students can now explore the application procedure, scholarship resources, conditions for eligibility, deadlines, and many other requirements. Making yourself eligible for these scholarships and getting all the requirements is a good starting point for interested candidates. It is important to note that successful applicants who wish to study abroad will be afforded the opportunity to do so, while the ones that desire to study in Kenyan universities will also receive sponsorships.
How Can I Get Education Sponsorship in Kenya?
Sponsorships are known to be typical in both the United States of America and Europe where students from local communities enjoy support from private organizations. However, in Kenya, sponsorship is a less frequently used term. An international student would likely talk about finding a sponsor while Kenyan students would naturally scout for a scholarship.
In Kenya, students who aspire to get sponsorships are not exposed to a wide array of choices as there are just two main bodies offering scholarships; they include, the Kenyan Government and other Non-governmental organizations. For one to get educational sponsorship in Kenya, he or she must first have a good understanding of the required qualifications as well as the Dos and Don’ts. You will get more from the official MoE website.
What Are The Requirements for Ministry of Education Scholarships in Kenya
The requirements for Kenyan Ministry of Education scholarships will vary depending on the aid a candidate applies for, however, the most common ones are as follows;
• An applicant must be an orphan
• Your family background should be poor or a low-income family
• A strong academic background is compulsory; brilliant academic performance
• Gender issues may come to play as some scholarships are exclusively reserved for female candidates
• A candidate needs to come from a particular demographic region, for instance, the marginalized community.
Kenyan Ministry of Education Scholarships
Below are the scholarships accessible through the ministry of education in Kenya, their specific requirements, and area of coverage.
1. Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships
Kenyan Ministry of Education scholarships are quite numerous, the first among them is The Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships (QECS). These are fully funded scholarships targeted at students of Kenyan origin who wish to make a change in their respective communities. The sponsorship is availed in various disciplines including
• Medicine, health, as well as life sciences
• Arts and humanities
• Physical sciences, mathematics, engineering
• Social sciences
Kenyan natives can gain admission to universities outside the shores of Kenya, however, the academic institution must be situated in a Commonwealth country. Go to their official website to check for the list of universities. It is important to note that there are important requirements that must be met before one can qualify for the fully funded sponsorship.
• One must be a citizen of Kenya or a holder of refugee status in one of the commonwealth countries
• An undergraduate degree is compulsory for applicants
• Applicants must show that they are proficient in the English language, otherwise, you must have proof of your ability in spoken English
2. Scholarship for both Masters & Ph.D. in Embedded Mobile System
The list of Kenyan Ministry of Education scholarships include the CENIT@EA Scholarship Programme. It is a locally available scholarship that comes in the form of a yearly grant with the aim of establishing a demand-driven Master’s Programme in Embedded and Mobile Systems.
The scope of the scholarship covers important areas such as tuition fees, rent assistance, monthly allowances, as well as financial assistance. Applicants who eventually qualify will grab the chance of studying at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology. Eligibility requires that interested candidates must:
• Be a Kenya national or from the East African Community
• Hold a second-class first degree (BA, BSC) or its equivalent in Electrical, Electronics, Engineering, Computer Science, Telecommunications Engineering, Information Technology, or any other related fields.
• Posses a mean grade of “B” in relevant subjects or fields
• Proficiency in spoken English, as well as written one, is one of the requirements
Go to the official CENIT@EA website to send in your application for the scholarship or visit the NM_AIST website.
3. Ashinaga Africa Initiative
African students can also access international higher education via the academic leadership program known as Ashinaga Africa Initiative (AAI). Each successful candidate will have his/her academic and financial needs undertaken by AAI and will have the opportunity to study abroad, accessing both career and mentoring assistance, and guidance. For candidates who are interested in the annual program, applications for the 2021 session will open from September 2021. However, applicants should fulfill the following requirements to be eligible;
• Have lost one parent or both.
• Must be a secondary school graduate or has passed national, vocational, or technical training within the last couple of years.
• Must be a Kenyan national or from select African countries.
• Your birth date must fall after the 1st of September 1998
You should also get the following documents ready for the application procedure.
• National identity card or passport
• Term reports; this includes your high school transcripts
• KCSE or your secondary school certificate
• Academic transcripts; this includes diplomas
• Death certificate or any official documentation which may suffice as proof of your parent(s) death or your orphan status.
• Your birth certificate
For detailed information, students can visit the official AAI website.
4. Diplomatic Academy of Vienna or Vienna School of International Studies
The Vienna School of International Studies has German classes on offer for students of all levels, research projects, and leisure activities. Students will have the opportunity to study more about Austrian history, culture, society, and politics. The scholarships available in the Diplomatic Academy (DA) of Vienna scheme are limited.
Also, financial assistance will be available at varying degrees this is heavily dependent on the postgraduate program a student applies for. Applications for diploma scholarships in Kenya were open till the 1st of March 2020. The college makes their scholarship available to candidates who wish to study the Theory and Practice of International Relations under a one-year postgraduate course. DA’s official website will provide satisfactory answers to all your questions.
5. International IT Policy Programme
Still under the list of Kenyan Ministry of Education scholarships, you will find The College of Engineering, Seoul National University which offers Kenyan students scholarship awards to study abroad as well as pursue Masters and Doctorate degrees. The under-listed requirements are needed for an applicant to become eligible.
• A candidate must be a government official or an IT-related researcher employed at National Research Centres
• Applicants for a Master’s degree must be holders of a Bachelor’s degree, while applicants for Ph.D. must have a master’s degree.
According to the academic year of the SNU, successful candidates will enroll for the Fall Semester. The following documents must be made available for international admission.
• Application form
• Personal statement and Policy proposal
• Explanatory statement (well written)
• Bachelors and masters certificates (notarized) and academic transcripts
• Curriculum vitae
• Letters of recommendation (two) from your heads of organizations or professors
• Proof of employment
Interested candidates should go to the SNU’s site to get the details on how to apply.
6. IUCEA Scholarships
Applicants are invited for undergraduate scholarships by South Korea’s Kyungdong University Global Campus through IUCEA. Opportunities abound for candidates to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in any of the following fields, Business Administration, Smart Computing, and Hotel Management. Like other Kenyan Ministry of Education scholarships, the following requirements must be met.
• Applicant must be a Kenyan citizen or come from the East African Community
• Your pre-university level of education must have been completed in 2017 or 2018
• English and Mathematics must be part of the courses you studied with a mean grade of “B”, minimum
• Must have competence in both spoken and written English
• Applicants shouldn’t exceed 22 years of age
The institution has as many as 30 scholarships per year which are expected to last till the next five years; this started in 2019. Interested students can go to education.go.ke for the list of the available scholarships
7. Hungarian Government Scholarships
Candidates who wish to join Hungarian universities for their bachelor’s degree programs can now have access to fully sponsored scholarships from the Hungarian government.
The government of Hungary is giving fully sponsored scholarships to candidates who wish to pursue bachelor’s degree programs in Hungarian universities. As one of the several scholarships in Kenya for undergraduates, the scheme is open to students who wish to study science degrees. This Kenyan Ministry of Education scholarship program is made available to interested candidates annually and covers:
• Application and tuition fees
• Subsistence costs
• Dormitory accommodation
• Health insurance
For more information about the requirements and eligibility for the 2020/21 programme, candidates can go to the Ministry of Education Kenya structure website.
8. Korean Government Scholarship
For students that are aspiring to study for sciences and humanities degrees, the Korean Government offers scholarships annually. Successful applicants will become eligible for a 100 percent entrance fee, dormitory fee, and tuition fee. For an application to be considered, candidates must have up to a 3.5 GPA or more, though a GPA of 4.0 or even higher may be necessary depending on your course of study.
Students who are considering going for the Korean Government Scholarship should understand that the application requirements, as well as eligibility criteria for the scholarship scheme, are subject to change every year. In addition, they should note that the benefits of the scholarship can only be offered for the first semester after enrolment which is an indication that students need to reapply selection as the semester is about to end. More information about the scholarship grants, awards, and programs is available on their official website.
9. Russian Government Scholarships
The Kenyan Ministry of Education scholarship scheme extends to include the Russian Government Scholarships. Russian Federation offers Kenyan students annual scholarships at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. These masters’ scholarship programs in Kenya are targeted at candidates wishing to study in these fields:
• Agriculture, Forest Industry, and Fishing
• Clinical Medicine
• Applied Geology, Oil and Gas Engineering, Mining, and Geodesy
• Heat-Power Engineering and Electric Power Industry
• Information Technology and Computer studies
• Biotechnology and Industrial Ecology
• Computer Science and Computer Facilities
• Economics and Management
• Nuclear Energy and Technologies
• Law (Jurisprudence)
• Political Science
For people who wish to go for undergraduate and postgraduate degree levels, the minimum education requirements will vary, but this is dependent on the course you wish to pursue. Interested candidates should understand that the eligibility for the scholarship award changes on a yearly basis as stated on their information page.
10. Partial Egyptian Grants and Scholarships Awards
The Arab Republic of Egypt in conjunction with the British University in Egypt offers Kenyan students in diverse fields partial annual grants as well as scholarship awards. It is possible for candidates to send in their applications for enrolment in either undergraduate or postgraduate level programs. These available courses are:
• Economics Dentistry
• Engineering
• Energy Engineering and Environment
• Law
• Nursing
• Political Science and Business Administration
• Pharmacy
• Informatics and Computer Science
Application for the aforementioned courses can be completed online where you can have access to more information regarding the admission requirements and qualification. The scholarship available covers the tuition fee and can only be awarded for the first year alone. Get more through the BUE website
The best place to find a Kenyan Ministry of Education scholarship is on their website. There, aspiring candidates will have access to information on grants and awards from private institutions and international governments that will enable them to study either in their home country Kenya or abroad.
However, before sending out any applications students must be sure of their eligibility for the grants or awards, besides, the minimum requirements must be met before an application can be given favorable consideration. Students who couldn’t qualify for any of these scholarships can still have access to bursaries by filling the application form for the Ministry of Education Kenya bursary.
