Academic Mobility: Higher education scholarship program

China has also prioritized the development of human capital in Kenya, beginning as early as 2000 with the establishment of the Forum on China-African Cooperation. In the early 1980s, China initiated the Chinese government scholarships for Kenyan students to pursue studies in various fields such as technology, business, engineering, and scientific research. According to the China Scholarship Council database, this program has benefitted 1985 Kenyan students. Over the past decades, the Chinese government has introduced additional scholarship programs including the Chinese Ambassador Scholarship program, Belt and Road Scholarship, Alliance International Science Organization, Chinese Scholarship Council, and Ministry of Commerce, People’s Republic of China Scholarship, all of which have provided Kenyan citizens with opportunities for higher education.
Furthermore, educational institutions between the two countries have collaborated, with the Chinese government establishing the first Confucius Institute in partnership with the University of Nairobi and Tianjin Normal University in 2005. This collaboration aimed to provide Kenyans with the opportunity to learn the Chinese language and culture. In September 2011, the Sino-Africa Biodiversity Research Conservation directorate was established to facilitate collaborative research and promote biodiversity conservation through training and research. This initiative led to the establishment of the Sino-African Joint Research Center (SAJOREC) at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Juja campus. Through this project, the Chinese government invested over Ksh. 3 billion for the construction of the JKUAT botanical garden and offered fully-funded scholarships for Kenyan students to pursue Master’s and Doctoral programs at various research institutes under the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In 2017, the Chinese government, through the China Road and Bridge Corporation and the contractor of the Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya, provided at least 100 scholarships to Kenyan high school graduates to pursue bachelor’s degree courses in railway engineering at Beijing Jiatong University. With the recent increase in Chinese initiatives in Kenya, we anticipate significant progress in both Chinese language proficiency and vocational skills through academic cooperation.