Kenya and Saudi Arabia announce new ties to foster education programmes

Scholarship opportunities and training programmes offered by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Kenyans will be streamlined for efficiency as the two countries announced their commitment to strengthen academic ties in higher education and research.

While speaking at a forum for non-Saudi graduates of higher education institutions in Kenya, speakers at the event said the collaboration will facilitate the exchange of expertise and talents between Saudi Arabia and Kenya.

State Department for Higher Education and Research Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala highlighted Saudi Arabia's continued support for Kenya's education sector.

"As a government, we appreciate Saudi Arabia for augmenting our efforts to provide quality and relevant education for all," she said.

Inyangala further noted that many Kenyans have benefitted from Saudi scholarships over the years. "It is through partnerships like this that we can address challenges in the education sector," she said.

The PS noted that President William Ruto's administration has already worked on a competency-based training framework for higher education institutions in the country.

"There are up to 2,000 scholarship opportunities annually. We need to mainstream these scholarships because what has been happening is that individual applicants have been pursuing their own," said Inyangala.

Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala gets briefed at the Forum for Non-Saudi graduates of Higher Education Institutions in Kenya held in Nairobi on Tuesday. (Barack Oduor)

Saudi Ambassador to Kenya Khalid Al-Salman led the delegation from Saudi Arabia. The higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia were represented by the Islamic University of Madinah, Umm Al-Qura University, and Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University.

The two-day forum being held at a Nairobi hotel also aims to preserve the authentic Islamic identity of graduates of higher education institutions.

"The forum seeks to expose questionable ideologies and misguided beliefs, safeguard graduates from their influence, and empower them with the tools to counteract these influences effectively," a statement from the organisers read.

An exhibition of courses offered in institutions of higher learning in Saudi Arabia was available.

The meeting will address efforts by graduates in clarifying and advocating for the concept of moderation and warning against extremism.

It will also guard targeted individuals against the influence of questionable ideologies and misguided, deviant beliefs.

There will also be discussions on the role of graduates in strengthening the relationship between Kenya and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The meeting will further evaluate the efforts of graduates in teaching and promoting the Arabic language and spreading knowledge and education.

The forum will support graduates' efforts and promote collaboration to serve their causes and Islamic issues. It will also discuss the utilisation of modern technology in serving the call to Islam.

The gathering will further highlight the contributions of Saudi university graduates to Kenyan civil society and document the efforts of higher education graduates in advocating for Islam, promoting accurate Islamic beliefs, preserving Islamic identity and avoiding extremism and fanaticism.