China pledges to provide 100 agricultural scholarships to Kenyan students from 2018 to 2022

On March 12, 2018, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta launched a doctoral scholarship program sponsored by the Chinese government.

The program was launched with a ceremony at the State House in Nairobi, and was attended by Kenyan President Kenyatta, and Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa. The program is formally named: "Aspire to the Zenith: President Uhuru Kenyatta Doctoral Scholarship Program".

Coordinated by the Confucius Institute at Egerton University in Nairobi, China pledged to provide scholarships to 100 masters and doctoral students studying in China from 2018 to 2022 in universities such as Nanjing Agricultural University.

The scholarships were provided to students majoring in irrigation, food security, horticulture, agricultural engineering, agricultural product value chain management, food warehousing, quality and safety regulation.

By the time of its completion, the scholarship program will offer 60 Kenyans direct admission into PhD programs, and 40 Kenyans admission to master's degree programs. Egerton University, since 2012, has had a Confucius Institute specializing in agriculture.

The institute has facilitated previous joint programs between Egerton University and Nanjing Agricultural university, including several agricultural training courses.