Sixty teenage mothers in Nandi County have been offered scholarships to pursue courses of their choice at various Technical and Vocational Training Institutes.

According to Nandi County Women Representative Mrs Cynthia Muge, she targeted mothers aged between 30 and 45 who had dropped out of primary and secondary schools because of early marriage and teen pregnancy.

Speaking at her office in Kapsabet town, Cynthia stated that most of the mothers had sought her support to facilitate their education and develop skills that would empower them economically.

“We want to empower our adult mothers that’s why we have made arrangements with technical institutions such as Kaiboi, Aldai, Tinderet, Sigoria, Lesso among others to admit them. Kes12.2 million has been allocated towards empowering the women to train in different areas of interests,” she said.

Among the courses the adult students will be taking include hotel and catering, food and beverage, plumbing, tailoring, and painting, among others.

The women representative said her office prioritises women, the youth and persons with disabilities to benefit from the National Government Affirmative Fund education kitty.

Some 207 students have been given scholarships worth Ksh 1.9 million from the kitty.

Fifty women’s groups, ten youth groups and three groups of People Living with Disabilities have also received Kes 6.5 million to initiate income-generating projects that guarantee value addition to improve their social and economic status.

Women presented thanked Cynthia for the kind gesture saying educating a girl child is like educating a community.

They noted that Nandi County has some of the highest cases of female school dropouts, adding that when such women are skilled, they can earn a decent living and take care of their families.