Uhuru reveals how school fee challenges inspired his youth mentorship programme
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, June 22, 2026Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta has revealed that his passion for youth mentorship was born out of the struggles he witnessed while serving as Gatundu South Member of Parliament, where a majority of constituents sought help to keep their children in school.
Speaking in a video seen by People Daily Digital on Jubilee’s TikTok platform on Sunday, June 21, 2026, Uhuru said that while interacting with residents in his constituency, he repeatedly encountered parents and guardians whose biggest challenge was paying school fees for their children.
“This programme actually started when I was a Member of Parliament here in Gatundu South. As I went around meeting constituents, I realised that 60 to 70 per cent of the issues I was being confronted with were about children being out of school because of school fees,” Uhuru said.
jubileepartyk/TikTok.
The fourth Head of State in Kenya has explained that he initially began by helping as many students as he could to access education. However, as the years passed, he closely followed the beneficiaries’ progress and witnessed remarkable transformations among young people who had previously lacked opportunities.
“I started by asking myself how many children I could help. As time went by, I looked at some of those young people and saw the progress they had made. People who did not have opportunities, once given a chance, started to blossom,” he added.
Need for mentorship among youths
According to Uhuru, the success stories exposed another challenge beyond classroom learning. Through continued engagement with the students, he realised many young people needed guidance, mentorship and life skills to complement their academic education.
As a result, the initiative evolved from a school fees support programme into a broader mentorship platform aimed at nurturing responsible and confident young people.
“We started to see gaps in individuals because we were following up on them. We realised we needed to instil a sense of hope, a sense of being, a sense of belonging and a sense of responsibility,” he noted.
jubileepartyk/TikTok.
Uhuru said the programme was subsequently expanded to ensure that more young people could access counselling, guidance and mentorship opportunities regardless of their background.
“That is when the idea came to expand it and give everybody an opportunity to be counselled, guided and mentored because classroom education is one thing, but life skills are another,” he added.
The Jubilee Party leader further emphasised the importance of holistic development, arguing that while education equips learners with academic knowledge, mentorship and life skills prepare them to navigate life’s challenges and contribute meaningfully to society.