Equity Group’s airlift to global universities has reached 329 scholars with a total scholarship value of Kshs 8.225 billion (USD 82.25 million).
64 of the sponsored candidates are from the 2016 airlift and have set off to their respective universities in different parts of the world.
The 64 scholars are part of the 605 scholars earlier selected to join the ELP in 2015, having excelled as scholars in the Wings to Fly Programme in KCSE the previous year. The ELP program has started recording an increase in the number of scholars gaining admission to global university annually with 2015 and 2016 accounting for 129 admissions after benefiting from the MasterCard Global Scholarship fund of US $ 500 million launched in 2014.
Speaking from Equity Centre at a ceremony to see off the class of 2016 scholars Equity Group CEO and Executive Chairman of Equity Group Foundation Dr. James Mwangi advised the scholars to remain true to their mission abroad, which is academic pursuit, leadership training, networking and global exposure. “Be proud of your identity and your roots. You will be differentiated by your values, culture and belief systems. You will meet and interact with other global citizens from different cultures and socializations. Always remember that they are not necessarily better than you, they are just different. Wear your Kenyan and African identity with pride. Make your home country and your continent proud among the nations that you will meet, interact and compete with. Similarly, your parents, your teachers and the ELP program have taught you the importance of character in shaping your destiny. Your character is the sum total of the values that have been impacted on you. ”
Meanwhile, 90% of the ELP Scholars access local public universities while 10% are assisted to gain admission in global leading universities so that they get global experience and exposure. The scholars are exposed and have an opportunity to build global networks and experiences , so that their training and learning, personal life and professional experiences and future goals will be aligned to their society and community goals and will help to transform education and promote social economic transformation of our country. The ELP programme is in line with Kenya’s Vision 2030 of transforming Kenya into a globally competitive middle income economy by the year 2030.
The Equity Leaders Programme is a transition pre-university programme from the successfulWings To Fly Secondary School Scholarship Program for bright gifted but financially challenged children executed by Equity Group in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation with support of USAID, UKAID and Kfw. The Wings To Fly secondary school program has so far benefited 12,377 students at a cost of over Kshs 12 billion (US$120 million) of in comprehensive secondary school scholarship that cover their tuition, pocket money, transport, uniform and annual congress. To date 3,400 students have completed their secondary school education while close to 9,000 are still in secondary school.
To date, more than 1,029 beneficiaries are gainfully employed in leadership positions across the world and others pursuing their post-graduate studies. More than 2,376 ELP scholars are still pursuing their undergraduate degrees and will soon be graduating in various disciplines in local and international universities.
The Equity Leaders Programme also offers a paid internship programme at the Bank. It is anchored as an advanced leadership development initiative which selects the top Wings to Fly scholars who attain grade ‘A’ as well as the top boy and top girl in the KCSE exams from all the counties, to develop them into world-class leaders.
Some of the leading institutions that have admitted our ELP Scholars for the last six years include:
| Institution | Country | Number of Scholars |
| Harvard University | US | 19 |
| African Leadership Academy | South Africa | 26 |
| Ashesi University | Ghana | 15 |
| University of Toronto | Canada | 15 |
| Yale University | US | 15 |
| University of Pretoria | South Africa | 16 |
| Arizona State University | US | 10 |
| Duke University | US | 11 |
| University of Pennsylvania | US | 11 |
| Cornell University | US | 9 |
| Amherst College | US | 9 |
| Williams College | US | 8 |
| Stanford University | US | 7 |