Call for MSc Scholarships at the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation

Introduction

The Government of the Republic of Kenya (GoK), through the Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation (MoWSI), has secured funding from the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank for the HORN OF AFRICA GROUNDWATER FOR RESILIENCE PROJECT (HoAGW4RP). The Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation intends to deploy part of this funding to support Internship Program (A programme established to provide unemployed graduates with opportunities for hands-on training for skills acquisition to enhance future
employability and fulfil the legal requirement for professional registration) for the Financial Year 2025/2026. The Project Development Objective (PDO) of the HoAGW4RP is to enhance accessibility and promote sustainable management of groundwater in the Horn of Africa borderlands. The Project is being implemented for a period of five years, between July 2022 to December 2027 targeting to benefit approximately 1,500,000 people living in the rural communities of the five counties in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) namely, Turkana, Wajir, Garissa, Marsabit and Mandera. The project is focusing on the sustainable management and use of groundwater through aquifer assessment, restoration, recharge, and conservation activities in the target counties. Groundwater management will further be enhanced by improving the visibility of groundwater resources through policies, plans, regulations, and guidelines.

The project aims to build capacity of the professionals serving in the water sector for sustainability of the project impact. Component 2A of the project focuses on generating groundwater information and strengthening regional and national groundwater institutions. It is under this component that the project has secured some funds for masters’ scholarship programme as a capacity building initiative to support the water sector professionals during the implementation of the project in Kenya. The MoWSI nominated a committee to recruit and manage the capacity building programme being coordinate by the Regional Centre on Groundwater Resources (RCGW). A number of local universities have been selected to offer MSc courses that bridge the knowledge gaps that exist in the sustainable development and management of groundwater resources in Kenya.

Objective of the MSc Scholarship program

The MSc scholarship program is meant to equip groundwater professionals as well as the supporting professionals in the water sector with the necessary skills to address pressing groundwater challenges such as water scarcity, pollution control, and climate resilience; policy development, regulatory compliance, and transboundary water resource issues, This will enhance the capacity of the existing workforce in designing and implementing solutions for the protection, management, and governance of the groundwater resources in the country.

The following programs offered in the University of Nairobi (UoN), Kenyatta University (KU), Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) will be sponsored under the HoAGW4R Project.

Priority Masters Programs to be sponsored

Master of Science in Geology (UON)
Master of Science in Applied Geophysics (JKUAT)
Master of Science in Climate Change and adaptation (UON)
Master of Science in Environmental Governance (UON)
Masters in Environmental Planning & Management- (KU)
Master of Science in Civil Engineering (Water Engineering Option) (JKUAT)
Master of Science in Geospatial Information Systems and Remote Sensing (JKUAT)
Master of Science in Hydrology and Water Resources (KU)
MSc in Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) (KU)
Master of Arts in International Relations and Diplomacy (KU)
Master of Arts in Project Monitoring and Evaluation (KU)

NB: The list of MSc Programs is in order of priority with a minimum of 2 qualifiers per program and 20 scholarships overall.

Eligibility Criteria

The interested applicants must;

Be a Kenyan citizen.
Be 40 years and below
Be available fulltime during the two years of study
Have a bachelor’s degree (at least upper second-class honors) from a recognized university in the relevant field of study.
Meet the university master’s entry requirements in one of the priority master’s programs listed in this call
Have at least 2 years minimum working experience relevant in the water sector
Have not previously benefited from the government scholarship on the same or another degree
Have a supporting letter from the employer stating the terms of employment and bonding conditions.
Any applicant will have an added advantage if working with agencies in the water sector that are implementing the HoAGW4R Project namely; Ministry of Water Sanitation and Irrigation (MoWSI), Regional Centre on Groundwater Resources (RCGW), Water Resources Authority (WRA), Water Sector Trust Fund (WSTF), or an employee of the county government of Wajir, Garissa, Turkana, Marsabit, or Mandera.

Duration of Master’s Program

The selected candidates will be offered scholarship for their master’s studies for a period of two years starting from 2025/2026 academic year

Scholarship Coverage

The scholarship will cover the candidates’ tuition fees, research costs, and administrative costs. The program targets to support 20 candidates that will qualify for the scholarship.

Application Process

Interested applicants should note the application process as highlighted below:

Phase 1- Application for university admission: The applicant will apply through the university portal/e-citizen where applicable, for admission in one of the master’s programs listed above.
Phase 2- Application for scholarship and required Documents: The evaluation and acceptance for the MSc admission will be done by the relevant universities. Only the accepted MSc applicants will be contacted to submit the relevant documents to the RCGW via email at hoa@rcgw.go.ke and capture the subject heading as: “APPLICATION FOR THE HOA MSc SCHOLARSHIP”. The required documents are as follows;
1. MSc Admission Letter from the university
2. Curriculum Vitae, Certified Academic Certificates and Transcripts
3. Motivation Letter not exceeding one page (single spacing, font size=12).
4. A recommendation/supporting letter (from employer)- your employer should indicate a commitment to grant leave of study once you are awarded the scholarship.
5. Kenyan identification (ID/Passport)
6. An MSc concept note – the applicants should prepare and submit a relevant research concept/idea to bring new solutions in the water sector through MSc research (maximum 1000 words, 1.15 line spacing, font size=12)
Phase 3- Evaluation of applicants for awarding of Scholarship: For further consideration for scholarship offer, the relevant university will submit a copy of MSc admission letter of the qualified applicant to the RCGW. The selection and scholarship awarding committee will evaluate all the submissions from the universities and the applicants to determines their qualification for master’s scholarship. Please note that a candidate’s acceptance for admission to an MSc program does not guarantee that the applicant will automatically get a scholarship offer.

Application Deadline

Application deadline for university admission is 22nd July 2025, two weeks from the date of publication of this call. Only successful candidates will be contacted.