47 pupils to join President Kenyatta in first SGR train ride

Pupils from  47 schools  representing an equal  number of counties  will join  President Uhuru Kenyatta, the First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, diplomats and other Kenyans from all walks of life during the maiden SGR train ride from Mombasa to Nairobi,  Wednesday.

The 47 pupils, all under 18 years, were picked by their respective school communities and grouped under PURES (Pupils Reward Scheme) –a mentorship propramme under the Presidency. They were selected on the criteria of talent, leadership and performance.

HISTORIC MOMENT

The pupils, also representing gender balance, are expected in Mombasa this evening ahead of the pioneering train ride with the president, a first experience and historic moment for the young mentees.

The PURES programme was launched by President Kenyatta and the First Lady in early 2015 to benefit best performing and talented pupils from schools across the country.

Besides mentoring the pupils over the need for hard work and choosing their careers wisely, the programme nurtures the characteristics of leadership and giving them an opportunity to share experiences on such national issues as integration and ethnic harmony in diversity.

MENTEES

The programme also enlightens the pupils on how people of the same age live together and the need to build long-life relationships.

The PURES programme includes sessions where the pupils interact closely with the President and the First Lady.

In several occasions, the President has found time to sit with the pupils at State House explaining to them every detail of his office and work, giving the mentees to understand his busy schedule.

For the next three days, the pupils will have an experience of a lifetime that they are likely to talk for a very long time considering that most of them have only read about Mombasa, Fort Jesus and the Port in history books.