Shadrack Kinga is a second year law student at Catholic University of East Africa (CUEA). Despite being an orphan, Kinga has managed to pursue his dream career. This has been by the help of The Rattansi Education Trust.

Kinga applied for admission in the university with no idea of where his fees would come from. This was after failing to get an admission to the public universities, something he had hoped for all his life. His secondary school education at St Christophers Kitale had been made possible by bursaries from various sources and the church.

When he got an admission letter to Catholic University, Kinga was advised to apply for funds from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB)but even with a full loan, his fees problems were far from over. He approached Rattansi education Trust who pledged to be paying KSh30,000 every semester.

“The Trust has been a big help to me. There was a time I was about to miss my exams because of fees and the Rattansi came to my rescue,” says he.

Kobia works in the school library for two hours each day after classes and the earnings, a paltry Sh 100 per day assists him to cater for housing and food as he resides outside the campus.

“At times I go without food but the fact that I am in school and that at the end of it I’ll become a lawyer and be able to assist the poor comforts me,” he says.

His two sisters who are in Secondary school also rely on bursaries. Kobia and his two sisters live with their cousin in Eldoret.His mother who died when he was four had left them under the care of a relative who again passed away in 2000.

Aida Kariuki cleared from Catholic University of East Africa (CUEA) in 2007 with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Social Service.

The girl whose parents says she nurtures dreams so high despite there being no means of achieving them considers her completing university education a miracle.

Aida failed to secure a position at the public universities after completing her secondary school education in Loreto convent. She decided that she would not settle for anything less than a degree nevertheless. She applied for a degree course in Social Sciences at Catholic University with no idea of the source of her school fees. Her parents had already retired and were in casual jobs. They tried to dissuade her when the admission letter for Catholic University came but she remained firm on her ambitions.

Aida met Mrs. Rattansi the director of Rattansi Education Trust in the hustle of sourcing for her school fees.

She says, “The Trust gave me KSh10,000 since it had already disbursed a lot of money and guided me on how to go about acquiring HELB loans. I got KSh30,000 from HELB and my father raised the remaining fees for that first semester but that was as far as he could go.”

Second semester came and apart from funds from HELB she had no means of raising her fees.

“My outstanding balance was KSh105,000. I talked to the financial administrator in the college and I was allowed to sit for the end year exams,” she notes.

She however dropped out school the second year when her balance hit KSh200, 000.Fees balance attracts interest and the best she could do to save the situation was to drop out so that her account would freeze.

Since she was receiving bursaries from the Ministry of Education and other sources, she could not be allowed to access funds from Rattansi.

“I sought employment and got a place where they paid me KSh6,000 per month. I saved every shilling to clear my fees and when it came down to KSh60,000, I was allowed to go back to class,” she says.

For her third year, she got a KSh100, 000 scholarship. Again at a time when she was about not to sit for her final exams, the Rattansi came in and settled the fees for her last Semester.

She says,“I consider Mrs Rattansi God sent. She is behind everything that I have become. I’m currently working with an organization, Victory Sports Camp that organizes local and international camps for youth and children. She is actually changing lives. By touching my life she has touched lives of several people who I work for.”


Wairimu Michengi graduated from Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC) last year.

Her completion of a three year diploma in broadcast journalism has been made possible by the Rattansi Education Trust.

“When I got an admission letter to KIMC three years ago, I had no means of raising the required KSh63,000 for the first year. My single mother could not afford to raise even half of the amount. But there was no way I would let go a chance to pursue my dreams after struggling through High school. I went to Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) in a bid to get a loan but I was told it was not possible. The Board Secretary Benjamin Cheboi introduced me to Rattansi Education Trust. The Trust committed itself to give me bursaries. For the three years, the trust has provided great assistance. At times I would be sent home for money but the Trust always intervened and ensured that I was always in class. But for their help my dream of pursuing a journalism career would not have become a reality. I’m currently an editor with a weekly newspaper, The Kenyan Spectator,” she says.