Our founder, Dr. Kakenya Ntaiya, dreamed of seeing girls from her village go to university for many years. This was one of the main reasons for creating Kakenya’s Dream.
And now, almost ten years since Kakenya’s Dream was founded and the Kakenya Center for Excellence (KCE I) welcomed its first students, that dream is being realized! 24 of our pioneer KCE I students graduated from high school this past December and are now joining universities, 21 in Kenya and three in Australia.
“All these 24 girls have been transformed through KCE and are dreaming big,” says Kakenya.
In, seven of the girls started at universities in different cities across Kenya. Among them is 18-year-old Celestine, who is pursuing an accounting and financial management degree at Africa International University in Nairobi.
“I want to become a banker in the future and offer financial advice,” says Celestine. She adds, “Many girls from my village have dropped out of school and married off and miss out on joining university. I am happy to further my education at a university and gain skills and knowledge that will enable me have a bright future.”
Celestine says that joining university has made her more responsible. “I manage my studying habits and secure my daily meals,” she says.
Brenda, also 18, enrolled at Co-operative University of Kenya and is pursuing a diploma in community development. “I want to be a social worker and support vulnerable people in the community,” she says.
In Kenya, a diploma course takes up to two and a half years to complete. A degree takes over three years to complete. Students typically apply to universities or colleges during their final year of high school, but they also have the option to revise their application upon receiving their final national high school test results. Most students must select a major when they enter university, but many institutions have an orientation week where new students can select from various courses and even change their major if they wish.
Most public universities and colleges in Kenya have two semesters running from January through April and then September through December. There are also some tertiary institutions which have adapted to trimesters that run from January to March, May to July, and September to early December, with one month breaks in between.
By September this year, all 24 of our pioneer students will be at their respective universities and colleges pursuing the degrees and diplomas of their choice. Each will develop her passion and skills to become a leader and changemaker in her family, community, and country. This is the power of Kakenya’s Dream!
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