The MPesa Foundation has broken ground on a Sh272.9 million Tuition Complex at Garissa University in a move set to benefit more than 5,000 learners.
The project, funded under the Citizens of the Future Programme, will see the construction and equipping of modern lecture halls, science and ICT laboratories, faculty offices, examination and conference facilities. The complex will be powered by solar energy and fitted with water harvesting systems to enhance sustainability.
Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony in Garissa on Wednesday, Esther Koimett, Chair of MPESA Holdings Company Limited, said quality infrastructure plays a critical role in improving learning outcomes.
“Education has the power to transform lives if learners are given an opportunity to access quality facilities. Education goes beyond content, with infrastructure as an enabling factor in improving learning standards,” she said.
Koimett noted that the Citizens of the Future Programme focuses on expanding and upgrading learning institutions across the country.
“At the Foundation, we have embarked on a programme known as Citizens of the Future that is targeted at construction, renovation and equipping of institutions in all 47 counties,” she added.
The Garissa project also includes a Safaricom Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre aimed at promoting skills based education and preparing young people for the job market.
The investment forms part of broader efforts by the Foundation to strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). This week, the Foundation is also launching an ICT Centre at University of Embu under its TVET Programme.
Other institutions benefiting under the programme include Maseno University, which received an ICT Centre and Tangaza University in Nairobi which benefited from a nursing school. The Citizens of the Future Programme aims to provide over 10,000 scholarships in five years to learners in TVETs and senior secondary schools.
Through the Safaricom Foundation TVET Programme, more than 1,000 students in institutions such as Waithaka Vocational College, Ahero Vocational Centre and Wiyumiririe Vocational Centre have received support.
In addition, the Wezesha Vijana Programme is supporting vulnerable youth in Nairobi, Isiolo and Marsabit counties with technical and digital skills, while the Digital Skills Programme is upskilling teachers in about 35 Teacher Training Colleges, including Machakos, Egoji and Eregi TTCs.
Since inception, Safaricom through its Foundations has invested Sh912 million in more than 58 projects across Garissa County in education, health and livelihoods, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable community development.
