Chinese scholarships to change fortunes of Kenyan students

NAIROBI - Jamlick Mwangi Kariuki is set to depart Kenya for China for his engineering studies. The 19-year-old is among 35 students who form the second batch of Kenyan students and will pursue a bachelor's degree in railway studies at the Beijing Jiaotong University thanks to scholarships from the China Communications Construction Company.

The first batch of students left for China in 2016.

Kariuki, who is the second born in a family of six, will be a student in China for between four and five years.

"I feel excited, honored and favored to get such an opportunity due to the generosity of the Chinese people. The scholarship will enable me to pursue an engineering degree in the railways sector," he says in Nairobi during a pre-departure interview.

"I am optimistic that I will gain a skill that is in short supply in Kenya and hence will increase my chances of getting gainful employment," Kariuki says.

The East African nation suffers from a shortage of specialists in the railway sector. However, all this is set to change once construction of the Standard Gauge Railway, which runs from the port city of Mombasa to the capital city of Nairobi, is completed in June.

Kenya plans to hire all the graduates to maintain the 480 km railway line. In addition, the government has begun construction of phase two of the project, which consists of a 120 km line from Nairobi to Naivasha.

The Chinese firm, CRBC plans to sponsor 100 Kenyan high school graduates to undertake railway courses in China as part of Beijing's commitment to boost Kenya's human resources in the sector.

Kariuki, who was picked as the student leader of the second batch of students says that China has a well developed railway infrastructure as compared with many other nations.

"It is therefore an ideal country for me to pursue higher education in railway engineering," Kariuki says.

"I expect to get much knowledge, and skills that I will use to develop Kenya," he adds.

Kariuki also plans to adopt the Chinese culture of a strong work ethic as well as punctuality in order to succeed in his studies.

"And, when I return, I will put to use all the skills I have learned to ensure that Kenya emerges a regional powerhouse in the railways sector," says Kariuki.

He says the process of selection for the scholarships was very rigorous.

"We were required to perform well in mathematics exams as well as other subjects. All those who were faint-hearted, gave up midway through the selection process," he adds.

"I never thought I would study in China. But now that the opportunity has come, I am very glad," he says.

The Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, James Macharia, says that Kenya will depend on the expertise of the students, once they return from China, to expand the railway sector.

He says that years of underinvestment in the sector has resulted in its decline as a mode of transport for cargo.

"As a result, the bulk of freight currently moves on roads and this has negatively impacted the road network," he says.