Nakuru based detergent giant, Menengai Cream, has donated Sh20 million to support 26 bright and needy youth from Nakuru to further their university education.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday during the launch of the 2016 Menengai Cream Scholarship programme in Nakuru, Menengai Oil Refineries managing director Onkar S. Rai said the programme which seeks to fund beneficiaries throughout their four-year studies, will start in April this year and will also be rolled out to other counties and aims to reach out to 2,000 students annually.
"We are strongly dedicated towards ensuring that bright needy youth complete their education so that they can be independent once they complete their studies. There are many youth whose dreams of learning fade away due to lack of school fees or other necessary requirements. We are targeting to reach out to as many of them as possible not only in Nakuru but also in other counties," Rai said.
The programme began in October last year and saw 1,699 needy applicants submit their requests for scholarships in basic university degree programs this year. However, only 26 were identified as more deserving and selected to the program, according to the MD.
"We had several applicants from under privileged backgrounds with admission letters from the country`s public universities who lacked money to fund their academic programs. But through assessment, we only picked 26 of them who we identified being in much need," Mr. Rai added.
Beneficiaries of the scholarship program have also hailed the project as a godsend saying it will help them realise their dreams.