Father’s love! Uhuru Kenyatta reflects on his life-changing youth mentorship programme

Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta has opened up about the experience that inspired his long-running commitment to supporting and mentoring young people, revealing that it all started with a challenge he repeatedly encountered while serving as Gatundu South Member of Parliament.

Speaking in a video shared on the Jubilee Party’s TikTok platform on Sunday, June 21, 2026, Uhuru reflected on his early days in leadership and how countless conversations with struggling families pushed him to take action.

According to the former Head of State, one issue kept appearing wherever he went. Parents and guardians were desperately looking for help to keep their children in school because they could not afford school fees.

“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.

For many families, education was becoming a dream that was slipping away because of financial hardship. At the time, Uhuru says he decided to do what he could to help students stay in school and continue pursuing their goals.

What started as a simple effort to support a few learners eventually grew into something much bigger.

“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.

The former president said watching these young people succeed convinced him that education has the power to transform lives. Some of the students he helped went on to complete their studies, build careers and become productive members of society.

However, as he continued following their journeys, Uhuru noticed another challenge that was not being addressed in classrooms.

While academic education was important, many young people also needed guidance on life, decision-making, confidence and personal responsibility. He realised that good grades alone were not enough to prepare young people for the realities of adulthood.

“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 said.

That discovery led to a shift in focus. The initiative gradually evolved from paying school fees to offering mentorship, counselling and life-skills training.

“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,” Uhuru explained.

Across Kenya, youth unemployment, mental health struggles, peer pressure and social challenges continue to affect many young people. While schools provide knowledge, mentorship helps young people discover their purpose, develop character and make informed choices about their future.

His message comes at a time when conversations around youth empowerment are becoming increasingly important. For many young Kenyans, having someone who believes in them, guides them and encourages them can make all the difference.