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.