A new chapter for 48 Kenya students opens in China

The Chinese embassy in Kenya on Thursday marked 40 years of its student exchange program with Kenya as it hosted a farewell ceremony for 48 local students who are beneficiaries of the Chinese government scholarships 2023.

The students who were selected, following a rigorous process that involved hundreds of applicants, have been granted scholarships for certificate, diploma, undergraduate and post graduate programs for a period of up to five years.

While lauding Kenya's ministry of education and the Chinese embassy for sustaining the program for the last four decades Zhang Zhizhong, minister counsellor and deputy head of mission at the Chinese embassy in Nairobi urged the scholarship beneficiaries to take advantage of the opportunity to study hard, return back and help the country realize its development aspirations.

"You are the future of Kenya. I hope you will come back to Kenya and apply what you have learnt in China and contribute to Kenya's development as well as further develop cooperation between China and Kenya for the next 60 years," Zhang said.

While pointing out that Kenya and China will be marking 60 years of diplomatic relations this year, the embassy official said that the Chinese government welcomes more Kenyan students to pursue further studies in China and promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

Lucy Kiruthu, an official from Kenya's ministry of foreign and diaspora affairs urged the young scholars to not only prioritize their studies but take time to embrace Chinese culture and visit Chinese cities in order to learn beyond the classroom.

Kiruthu who studied international relations at China's Peking University 27 years ago encouraged the students to be good ambassadors of China-Kenya relations and to fly the Kenyan flag high while in China.

Jacob Oloo, one of the 48 beneficiaries, who will be pursuing a doctoral degree at Huazhong University of Science and Technology described the scholarship from China as an endeavor that fortifies the strong ties between Kenya and China and expressed confidence that those who were awarded scholarships will help transform the country as soon as they complete their pursuit of higher education abroad.

"Beyond the acquisition of knowledge, let us emphasize the importance of knowledge repatriation. We are not just students but stewards of change. The wisdom we will gain will transcend geographical boundaries, finding its way back to Kenya and the world, where it will serve as a catalyst for progress," Oloo said.