Needy students at KCA University can now heave a sigh of relief after the higher learning institution embarked on a plan to raise funds to support their education.
Most students are in a financial crisis which has affected their studies since their parents and or guardians are faced with a myriad of challenges including abject poverty, illnesses, and substance abuse among others.
KCA University have organized the second edition of the VC & CEO Cycling Tour which seeks to raise KSh15 million to facilitate the education of the bright and talented but poor students.
The University Vice Chancellor and CEO Prof Isaiah Wakindiki said that beneficiaries will receive full scholarships adding that part of the funds will go towards supporting research and innovation.
“Last year we managed to raise funds and fully sponsored 16 needy students and we intend to increase the number of beneficiaries this year. We want to have students concentrate on their studies and fully exploit their potential,” Prof Wakindiki said.
The VC spoke while flagging off the tour that will see participants among them professional cyclists peddle 1,002 kilometers from Ruaraka area of Nairobi, Nakuru, Kericho, Kakamega, Kisumu, Kisii, Bomet and back. The event is slated for May 29 to June 1, 2024.
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Data from Commission for University Education (CUE) indicates that 60 per cent of university dropouts are directly attributed to a lack of tuition fees, a barrier that hinders individual progress and impacts the nation’s overall development by leaving a skilled workforce untapped.
At the same time, Prof Wakindiki said the varsity further seeks to inculcate the culture of cycling for physical and mental fitness and to conserve the environment.
“We have begun conducting educational campaigns to encourage cycling among our students to ease feelings of stress and anxiety for better focus on their studies,” he said.
Dr Sarah Kilemi, the chairperson KCA Foundation regretted that due to hard economic times, many children end up dropping out of school, a challenge that calls for a unity of purpose among academicians and other well-wishers to retain them in school.
Kilemi encouraged students and staff, especially the female ones, to begin cycling for their physical fitness, for fun and to support such initiatives.
Cyclers among them Alice Miring’u and Kelviun Kariuki urged the youth and especially women to embrace cycling as a sport and a way of enhancing physical fitness.
Miring’u is a professional cyclist who has represented the country in various international games such as in Burundi, Morocco, United Kingdom among other countries since she embraced the sport in 2020.
“Cycling is a hobby that we should all purpose to undertake for our physical fitness, entertainment and to support courses such as this,” Miring’u said.
By Kamau Njoroge
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