Forever Grateful! How Ken Mwangi made the KenGen Scholarship His Stepping Stone.

He likes describing himself as a young scholar and an educationist, having a Masters in Women’s Law from the University of Zimbabwe, and currently pursuing his second Masters in the University of Nairobi.

Ken Mwangi during an advocacy session in Nairobi.

The young man of 26 will be enrolling for his PhD in June this year, making him arguably one of the youngest doctoral students in Kenya. And a scholar he is, practically, having penned three books in a period of three years and co-authored two others. His first book, an anthology of short stories which he wrote while in second year in 2010 is titled ‘The Second Death’. It’s a dedication to his grandmother who brought him up. Early last year, he penned another book, ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ which is a reflection on the consequences of easy riches. “The youth should learn to always work hard, it’s truly satisfying to spend money that you have really toiled for,” he says. He also holds a diploma in Scientific Writing and Publishing, a diploma in Women, Power and Decision Making all from the University of Nairobi.

“It all did not start here. I was born in Ruiru to a single parent, my mother. In fact I was born John Fitz Gerald Kennedy Kamau Mwangi, after the American President but my nursery school teacher found it tiresome and always wrote Kennedy Kamau Mwangi on my report form. That’s how I adopted it. My grandmother, who raised me up also found it cumbersome to pronounce when she took me to the clinic” he adds with a smile.