Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has unveiled a Ksh170 million secondary school scholarship programme aimed at expanding access to education for learners from financially vulnerable backgrounds across the county.
The programme was launched on Thursday, January 8, during a ceremony at Uhuru Park, where beneficiaries received the scholarships.
Under the new programme, the county has allocated Kshh170 million in its initial phase, which will support 4,000 high-performing but needy students.
Sakaja said the scholarships are intended to offer relief to households that have found it increasingly difficult to keep their children in secondary school due to rising costs.
He contrasted the current administration’s education spending with previous years, noting that Nairobi County spent about Ksh10 billion on scholarships and bursaries over a ten-year period between 2013 and 2022.
Sakaja said his government has already committed Ksh1.8 billion to education support in just two years, underscoring what he described as a renewed and intensified focus on learning.
“I want to thank the Controller of Budget for working with the Ministry of Education and the Council of Governors to resolve the impasse that existed last year and to anchor scholarships within the law,” he said.
Beyond scholarships, Sakaja highlighted ongoing investments in school infrastructure to address overcrowding in public institutions.
He said the national government is constructing 5,000 classrooms at a cost of Ksh1 billion, while the county government is putting up an additional 1,500 classrooms to help reduce congestion.
Sakaja also drew attention to the scale of Nairobi’s education demand, pointing out that a population of roughly 7 million people is currently served by only 230 public schools.
“We have a lot to do, and that is why we must come together to bridge this gap,” he added.
This comes weeks after Sakaja approved a menstrual health policy that grants female employees two days of paid leave each month, making the county the first in Kenya to formally recognize menstrual health challenges in its human resource framework.
On Tuesday, December 16, 2025, the Sakaja Cabinet formally adopted the introduction of two monthly Menstrual Health Days for women employees during a cabinet session chaired by the governor.
The approval follows a comprehensive cabinet memorandum that highlighted how menstrual health challenges, particularly dysmenorrhea, significantly affect women’s well-being and work performance.
Studies cited in the policy document indicate that between 65 and 80 percent of women experience menstrual pain, with a considerable number suffering symptoms severe enough to impair productivity.
With women making up more than half of Nairobi County’s workforce, the impact of unaddressed menstrual health issues has been reflected in reduced efficiency, increased presenteeism, and compromised service delivery across county departments.
According to the cabinet position paper, the policy is evidence-based and aligns with the county’s commitments to gender equality, decent work, and inclusive governance.
The document noted that even modest recovery of productivity losses would yield significant institutional benefits for the county.
“The policy recognizes that supporting women’s health needs is not just a matter of fairness, but also sound institutional management,” the memorandum states.
Implementation will be undertaken by the Public Service Management subsector in collaboration with the County Public Service Board.
