96 Kenyan students have been flagged off to Israel for 11 months of advanced studies in agriculture. The studies will take place in Arava at the Advanced International Centre for Agriculture Training. 19 of the 96 students are graduates from the University of Nairobi.

Speaking during the flagging off ceremony, the Cabinet Secretary for Water and Sanitation, Hon. Simon Chelugui urged students to take a keen interest during the training and to learn as much as possible. “This journey will change your life and the life of Kenyans”, he said.  He pointed out that the water levels in the country is reducing and hence students going to Israel should study water desalination and deep wells drilling methods. “We are looking at alternative water sources”, he said. Food security is a pillar in the Big Four agenda and water is an enabler and hence modern irrigation methods need to be embraced. “As a ministry, we work to ensure that agriculture is developed and irrigation encouraged through the various dams projects like Thwake, Samba, Karimero”, he observed. He pointed out that other projects like Northern Collector Tunnel which is 85% done will go a long way in ensuring the wellbeing of farmers and Kenyans in general.

The Cabinet Secretary urged students to come back and develop the country as they implement the ideas and knowledge learned during the 11 months training.

Israel Ambassador to Kenya, H.E. Noah Gal Gendler pointed out that a total of 25 countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America will be sending students to Israel. “It is an opportunity for young farmers to learn how we transformed as a desert country to food-producing and exporting country in the world. You will learn how we use technology in agriculture”, he said. He pointed out that Kenya is more blessed with warm climate, fertile land, rainfall and the young people have the ability to change the agricultural potential of Kenya for years to come.

This is the fifth cohort of students being sent to Israel for advanced studies in Agriculture. The first cohort was sent after the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu in February 2016. The students are drawn from various universities and colleges across the country.