On a mission to make college education accessible

By Ally Jamah

Mr Michael Kisoi Munyao may just be 35, but he is leading a silent revolution in college education.

Through the Foundation Institute of Africa (FIA) he has opened previously closed doors to hundreds of needy students to get college education without paying for tuition.

FIA students are only required to make arrangements for their accommodation and meals. "There are many talented and skilled youth who can contribute positively to society if given a chance. That is why I started this college," he says.

He says the college has spent more than Sh60 million on tuition waivers, with most of the money coming from the Foundation for Youth Development in Africa (Foda), a NGO that seeks to empower youth in Africa.

The college offers diploma courses in business administration, human resources management, banking, finance and accounting.

Locked out

Munyao ambition is to increase access to college education to students who are otherwise locked out by the high costs of tuition.

"When you lock a poor student from higher learning, it means he or she is less likely to overcome poverty. Education is one of the key tools of escaping poverty, " says the institute chief executive officer.

Since it was launched two years ago, the non-profit institute has enrolled 3,000 students.

FIA has three campuses in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu and more are planned for Eldoret and Garissa. "We have received thousands of applications from students seeking admission, which shows how desperate the situation is," says Munyao,

Some students scored as high as B+ in KCSE while others dropped out from other colleges or universities due to lack of money. Many of them do manual work like selling used clothes or serve as housemaids to raise money for examinations and upkeep.

Munyao believes thousands of bright and talented youth are wasted every year because they cannot afford higher education, which would allow them to make a positive difference in their lives and that of their families. He says while the Government has done much to expand primary and secondary education, opportunities at the tertiary level are limited.

This year public universities admitted a record 18,000 of the more than 70,000 KCSE candidates who qualified for university.

Before starting FIA, Munyao served as the Regional Director of Foda where he pushed tirelessly for empowering youth through education.

Initially he wanted to merely offer scholarship, but a survey on the cost of college education convinced him the move would benefit only a few students owing to the high fees. "We decided to establish an tuition free college," he says. In 2007 the first campus opened in Nairobi.

He is the son of the legendary Kisoi Munyao, who hoisted Kenya national flag atop the highest peak of Mt Kenya when at independence in 1963. He has a Business Administration degree and a higher national diploma in Human Resources.