Kilifi County has announced a complete scholarship programme for students transitioning to Grade 10 after a successful Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) examination.
In a statement on Tuesday, January 6, Governor Gideon Mung'aro announced that the scholarship would be released under the ward scholarship fund and therefore invited applications before consideration.
The governor, however, clarified that it targeted bright but needy students, like orphans and those from single-parent households, those living with disabilities and those from low-income families.
"The Kilifi County Government, through the Kilifi Ward Scholarship Fund, invites applications from eligible students who sat the KJSEA 2025 examinations for consideration under the Full County Scholarship Programme," the statement stated.
However, the county government required that the students applying must have attained a minimum of 61 points in the KJSEA examinations. Urging qualified students to visit their respective ward offices and pick up application forms that must be completed and submitted.
Kilifi County, through this initiative, reaffirmed its commitment to promoting education as a foundation of equity and opportunities. It targeted hundreds of students, and it has reportedly set aside close to Ksh57 million for the programme.
The move comes days after Kilifi County woman representative Getrude Mbeyu released over Ksh8.4 million through the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) to support the education of over 900 vulnerable students in the county as schools reopen.
Gideon Mung'aro's announcement now adds Kilifi County among several counties that have announced scholarship opportunities for needy students.
Murang'a County Governor Irungu Kangata, on January 6, also announced a Ksh230 million bursary allocation, which is targeted to support over 50,000 needy and vulnerable students, yet high-performing students.
Kakamega County also authorised Ksh150 million in bursary funds for secondary schools starting January 2026.
Most county programmes prioritise orphans, those whose parents are disabled, and those from extremely needy backgrounds.
Though the national government announced that it had released capitation to schools ahead of the Grade 10 transition, the scholarship remains essential for the students since the treasury slashed and reduced the amount each student was getting through government capitation.
The full scholarship programmes are expected to ease the burden of parents in seeing their children through the senior secondary school programme.
