Universities bank on alumni driving change with direct funding

From left: Nachola Ward MCA Lawrence Lorunyei Ekiru receives Sh6.5 million alumni grant from Dr Aurelia Rono, Principal Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs, Mount Kenya University founder Prof Simon Gicharu and Vice Chancellor Prof Deogratius Jaganyi, during the university's 28th graduation ceremony on Friday.

Universities are channelling resources directly to alumni, driving community impact, and moving beyond traditional scholarships to back graduates with proven track records.

The emerging funding model targets alumni who excel in community service, professional excellence, public service, leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, and global impact. Institutions are setting aside multimillion-dollar grants to scale up work that is already demonstrating results on the ground.