A program that is slowly transforming the lives of brilliant young Kenyans was once again on the limelight this past weekend. The Kenya airlift program, an initiative that financially supports brilliant Kenyan students to study tech-related master’s programs in North America, held its bi-annual luncheon which took place on Saturday, July 23 at the Safari Park hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, in a display of might and brilliance.
Ms. Jennifer White, the global business development director at MPOWER Financing, Mrs Sarah Kabu of Bonfire Adventures, KCB’s Head of Diaspora Banking Mr Winston Wachira, The WaJesus family were among the guests who graced the colorful occasion. The program co-founders Bob Mwiti, an IT consultant located in Tampa, Florida, and Hon. DMK Kiogora, elected MCA for Abogeta West ward, were also present.
Over 200 students were also there, with more than half of them flying to the United States to pursue various master’s programs at various universities in Fall 2022. This event is typically held as a farewell celebration for such students prior to their departure in August and December every year.
As Bob Mwiti highlighted during the event, the program has grown tremendously since 2018, when just three students were registered, to now, in 2022, where over 1000 students are currently enrolled. This 500 percent annual growth demonstrates that students across the country are enthusiastic about studying in North America. He also shared his vision of a creating a community of brilliant Kenyans in the United States who would do great things together both in the US and back home in Kenya.
The event’s keynote speaker Mrs White congratulated the co-founders for launching such a remarkable initiative to help Kenyan students prepare for opportunities in Africa and the US. She described how she lived in Kenya for six years and was involved in micro-enterprise financing in East African countries, how she began her MPOWER journey, and where she is headed.
The program’s co-founder Hon DMK, who is also the patron of The Airlift Sacco, detailed how he met Bob and came up with the concept of The Kenya Airlift Program together. “People from other regions of the country have embraced this program more than those from my ward, but I am delighted to announce that two students from my ward are going to the US this August,” DMK stated. He invited local banks to partner with the program and help brilliant Kenyan students realize their ambitions of studying abroad.
Mr Winston Wachira, KCB’s head of diaspora banking, asserted that the bank was dedicated to creating an enabling environment to invest for Kenyans living abroad. He further invited the students to consider utilizing their services which are very customer friendly.
The program sought to establish a partnership with Bonfire Adventures in order to facilitate students’ seamless travel to the United States. Bonfire Adventures is a leading Kenyan tour and travel company, and a collaboration with them will ensure that students in The Kenya Airlift Program can travel for their studies at affordable prices.
Unlike other programs where one pays through the nose to be connected to study abroad or simply end up losing money in a fabricated hoax, the results of this program have proven it’s trustworthiness.
Some of the beneficiaries of the program who are already in the US such as the program’s first student, addressed the students virtually from his new home in Tampa, Florida, encouraging every student to trust the process and stay the course until they achieved their dreams. “Like Martin Luther King Jr., I’ve been to the mountaintop and seen the promised land,” Wilfred said. He relocated to the United States in January of 2021Â to pursue a Master of Science in Business Analytics at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and in less than two years, he has advanced to the position of Senior Business Analyst at Appstec America, the parent company of The Kenya Airlift Program.
As it stands, this program is poised to grow exponentially, and we can only wish them Godspeed and encourage many Kenyans to take advantage of this life-changing opportunity.
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