Equity Group Foundation Wings to Fly Scholarship in Kenya: Eligibility and Application
By Muntasir • Published Mar 28, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • African Scholarships & Student Funding
Wings to Fly is a secondary school scholarship for Kenya's top-performing KCPE candidates from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, run by Equity Group Foundation with Mastercard Foundation as the main co-funder.
🎓 Selection happens after each year's national transition results across all 47 counties, KCPE up to the final 2023 cohort, and the KJSEA thereafter. Confirm the current exam requirement with Equity Group Foundation, whose published page still references KCPE.
🏠 The award covers tuition, accommodation, books, uniforms, pocket money and transport for 4 years of secondary school.
📩 Apply through Equity Bank branches, Equity agents, or the Foundation's online portal.
⏱️ You need your national transition results slip (KCPE for pre-2024 cohorts, KJSEA thereafter), an official KNEC copy or a signed and stamped school copy, to apply.
What Wings to Fly is
Wings to Fly supports secondary education for Kenyan children who perform well in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam but come from financially constrained backgrounds or lost one or both parents. Equity Group Foundation runs the programme with Mastercard Foundation as the main co-funder, alongside support from USAID, UK Aid and KfW, according to Equity Group Foundation .
The Foundation has supported more than 60,000 Wings to Fly scholars since the programme began. Selection draws from all 47 Kenyan counties, so where you live in Kenya does not shut you out of the programme.
Who qualifies
You sat the KCPE exam and scored well, since selection is merit-based.
Your household faces genuine financial hardship, or you are an orphan or have lost one parent.
You are transitioning from junior school into senior secondary, and the scholarship funds the full secondary cycle (four years under the outgoing 8-4-4 system; confirm the duration covered for CBC senior-school intakes).
The 2024 intake selected scholars from the 2023 KCPE cohort, the last KCPE group ever examined. Later intakes follow the KJSEA transition timetable, so confirm the current exam and results requirement with Equity Group Foundation before applying.
How selection works
A Community Scholarship Selection Board (CSSB) handles shortlisting in every sub-county. The board includes community leaders and is chaired by the County or Sub-County Director of Education, which keeps selection grounded in local knowledge of which households genuinely need support.
Equity Group Foundation spreads awareness of open applications through administrative forums (chiefs' barazas), places of worship, radio announcements and social media, so check these channels in your area once KCPE results are out.
What the scholarship pays for
Wings to Fly funds the full secondary cycle, not tuition alone. Coverage includes:
Tuition fees for the 4 years of secondary school
Boarding and accommodation costs
Textbooks and school uniforms
Shopping allowance and pocket money
Transport to and from school
Beyond the money, scholars get mentorship on academic performance, values, leadership and community service, delivered through school visits, mentorship forums and annual education congresses.
How to apply
Wait for KCPE results and confirm you meet the merit and financial-need criteria.
Get your national transition results slip, the official KNEC slip or a copy signed and stamped by your school (KCPE slip for pre-2024 cohorts, KJSEA slip thereafter).
Visit any Equity Bank branch, an Equity agent location, or go directly to the Foundation's online application portal.
Create an account on the portal, fill in your personal and academic details, and upload your KCPE results slip along with any other requested documents.
Submit before your area's application window closes and follow up through your chief's office or school if you do not hear back in reasonable time.
For questions, contact Equity Group Foundation directly at [email protected] or call +254 (020) 2744000.
A note on funding changes
Mastercard Foundation funded an additional 10,000 Wings to Fly scholars on top of Equity Group Foundation's own contribution, with the last Mastercard Foundation-funded intake enrolling in 2021. If you apply in a later cycle, your scholarship draws on Equity Group Foundation's own funding and other partners rather than that specific Mastercard Foundation allocation. This does not change how you apply, but explains why total funded numbers per cycle shift year to year.
Tips
Apply as soon as KCPE results are released. Community selection boards work on a timeline tied to Form 1 admission dates.
Keep a stamped copy of your results slip ready even before the official KNEC slip arrives, since schools certify results early.
Involve your local chief or school administration early. They confirm your household's financial circumstances to the selection board.
If you miss the Wings to Fly window, ask your school about county government or NG-CDF bursaries as a parallel option.