Eight students cushioned in 2019 Wings to fly scholarship program in Changamwe and Jomvu sub counties- says Changamwe Equity Branch Manager

Changamwe Equity branch manager Peter Kanyi flagging off the 8 beneficiaries of the wings to fly program in Changamwe Equity branch on Monday Photo by Author

By Kombe Peter

A total of eight students from Changamwe and Jomvu sub counties have benefited from the Wings To Fly scholarship program sponsored by Equity Bank.

Speaking to the press in Mombasa Monday, Changamwe branch Equity Bank Business Growth and Development Manager Peter Kanyi said the selection of the beneficiaries started last week but faced a stiff competition from applicants.

He said a total of 192 primary school pupils applied for the scholarship in the two sub counties

 “The competition was a bit tight because the number of students who applied for the scholarship was high. We had a total of 192 students. But we managed to get 45 of them and we further narrowed to 8 Students” he noted

The manager further noted that only 45 applicants managed to be shortlisted in the golden scholarship.

He also noted that out of the 45 students 8 of them managed to be selected in the two sub counties this year.

“Today we are flagging of this year’s Wings To Fly students in Changamwe and Jomvu sub counties. It makes a total of 133 students who have benefited from the program here” the manager said

Kanyi further pointed out that out of the total number of students who are beneficiaries of the wings to fly program in the area 6 of them managed to attain excellent grades in the 2018 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education.

“We are also privileged to have some of our former beneficiaries. Six of the beneficiaries performed so well in this year’s KCSE” he explained

He says the best student managed to score an aggregate grade of A in the 2018 and ranked 59 nationally.

“We had the best student, one Milton Omondi who was ranked 59^th nationally after scoring an A in the KCSE. As Equity Bank we are really proud of these students” the manager outlined

He called on parents to effectively play their parental obligations saying the parents are the cornerstone of the students’ success.

Kanyi explained that the eight students’ beneficiaries in the two sub counties make a total of 133 students who have benefitted from the program.

“The number of students who have benefited from the wings to fly program in this area stands at 133 today” Kanyi indicated

He further urged donors and business men to come out and sponsor needy students in society.

At the same time, Sylvester Wawiye chairperson of the wings to fly selection board in Changamwe Sub County called on the students to focus on education in order to fulfill their ambitions.

Beneficiaries of the 2018 and 2019 wings to fly flanked by  branch manager and parents on Monday

He urged parents to monitor the academic progress of their students at all times.

“This is a golden opportunity you have. You should use it wisely. Mind you so many students scrambled for this chance” Wawiye noted

Wawiye adds “the selection was competitive considering the higher number of applicants”

He however noted that the selection was conducted fairly to offering all students an opportunity.

“We did the whole exercise fairly. The competition was so stiff but altogether we managed to get the required number. Again we took into consideration the needs of every student” he noted

On his part, Milton Omondi former Wings to fly program beneficiary from the sub county urged the current beneficiaries to work hard in their studies

“What I can tell is all you need to do is dedicate yourself to studies. I only managed to score high marks because of my commitments towards studies” he noted

He called on the students to shun bad company while in school.

The “Friends Kamusinga High School” alumni managed to score an aggregate grade of A in the 2018 KCSE.

Omondi is among the top 100 students nationally having attained position 59 in the 2018 KCSE.

The Wings to Fly program was launched in 2011 with the generous support of the Master Card Foundation with an aim of granting 10,000 comprehensive secondary school scholarships and training to academically gifted yet economically and socially marginalized young Kenyans.

The beneficiaries will be part of an alumni program that host annual conferences and facilitates networking with industry leaders.

The potential scholars are selected through a transparent and community owned selection process.