14 bright and needy students from the University of Nairobi have benefited from Mitsubishi Corporation scholarship. The joyful students couldn’t hide their joy when they received the good news. Each student will get a cash stipend of Kshs. 65,200/-
Mitsubishi Corporation scholarship support to bright students from humble background has been ongoing over the last 10 years and a total of 126 students have benefited over the period. Students who have been beneficiaries are from Faculty of Arts especially those doing Bachelor of Arts (Geography). Other students who have also benefited are those doing Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Conservation and Management and Bachelor of Education (Geography).
According to Mitsubishi CEO, Mr. Nishi, the corporation is not just interested in making profits, but also in doing sustainable business and supporting the environment. By supporting students pursuing environment related courses, they are achieving their agenda of supporting the environment. “I hope the scholarship becomes valuable. May your dreams and the dreams of the country come true,” he said. He urged students to continue with social interactions, being the change agents in environmental campaigns and planting trees.
Established in 1959 in Kenya, Mitsubishi Corporation is a leading Japanese company that makes automobiles, escalators, power plants among others. In Kenya, they have been involved in many infrastructure projects like the construction of Mombasa Airport in 1970s and construction Okaria Geothermal in 1980s.
University of Nairobi Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Mbeche, thanked Mitsubishi Corporation for supporting students over the last decade and for opening a new chapter going forward. He observed that the selection of students represents equal gender balance and the face of Kenya. He observed that a total of 8.5Million has been used to support students in the last decade. “I request Mitsubishi Corporation to consider more students and other areas of collaboration including research. To students, I urge you to work hard and propagate the core mission of Mitsubishi and the University of Nairobi”, he said. The Vice Chancellor, was represented by Prof. Julius Ogeng’o, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs.
Chairman, Geography Department, Dr. Boniface Wambua took the opportunity to thank Mitsubishi Corporation for supporting students since 2009. He opined that the funds have enabled students from poor backgrounds to finish their studies. He stated that the students have transformed communities by engaging in tree planting, environmental cleanups and being agents of change in the mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. “Selection was jointly done by the University of Nairobi and Mitsubishi Corporation. Selection was done to represent the face of Kenya,” he said.
