What began as an effort to keep seven children in school has grown into a long-term education and employment network serving more than 1,000 young people and families across Mombasa.
In 2006, Peter Kwame Mwakio and Gabrielle Fondiller began researching government policies affecting street vendors in Likoni, Mombasa.
What they discovered extended far beyond the original research.
As they spoke with families, they encountered academically promising children whose education was at risk because their parents could not afford the associated costs.
Mwakio and Fondiller could have documented the problem and moved on. Instead, they decided to respond.
In 2007, they established the Likoni Scholarship Fund and began supporting seven students.
That small intervention eventually developed into Hatua Network, an organization helping young people from low-income families move from secondary school to higher education, professional employment and economic independence.
Building a Pathway, Not Just a Scholarship
Peter Kwame Mwakio is the co-founder and director of Hatua Network. He oversees its strategy, programmes, fundraising and corporate partnerships.
His work is guided by a simple but important understanding: paying school fees does not automatically remove all the barriers created by poverty.
A student may receive a scholarship but still struggle to afford uniforms, books, transportation, accommodation or other essential supplies. Academic pressure, difficult family circumstances and limited access to professional guidance can create additional challenges.
Hatua’s eight-year scholarship programme therefore provides support through secondary school and college or university.
The organization’s assistance includes:
- Tuition and school-related expenses
- Uniforms, books and essential supplies
- Accommodation where necessary
- Academic monitoring
- Psychosocial support
- Mentorship and leadership development
- Career preparation and workplace skills
Students are selected through a competitive process based on academic performance and financial need. Hatua supports girls and boys in equal numbers.
The objective is not simply to help students attend school. It is to give them the consistent support they need to complete their education and build independent futures.
Growing Beyond the First Seven Students
Hatua reached an important milestone in 2024 when 120 new students joined its programmes, bringing the number of young people and families served to more than 1,000.
The organization’s students have also produced strong academic results.
In 2024, Hatua reported that 74 percent of its secondary-school graduates qualified for degree programmes, compared with a reported national rate of 22.3 percent.
Hatua also partnered with the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service and the Higher Education Loans Board to help students understand university placement and education financing.
Approximately 2,500 participants attended the resulting workshop physically or through its livestream, extending the organization’s guidance beyond its scholarship recipients.
Building the Connections Poverty Often Denies
For many young people, graduating from university is only the beginning of another difficult transition.
Students from low-income communities may have qualifications but lack the professional networks, workplace exposure and industry knowledge that help other graduates find employment.
Hatua addresses this gap by pairing tertiary students with mentors working in their chosen professions.
Mentors help students understand their industries, find attachments, prepare for interviews and begin developing professional relationships.
In 2024, Hatua had 210 active mentor-and-student pairs. The organization also reported that 98 percent of its graduating students completed career-relevant attachments before finishing their studies.
Hatua develops partnerships with employers and refers qualified graduates for appropriate opportunities. According to the organization, more than 90 percent of its alumni enter the workforce within a year of graduating.
This is one of the most powerful parts of its model.
The goal is not only to produce graduates. It is to help young people convert education into sustainable livelihoods.
Creating a Cycle of Opportunity
Hatua’s impact increasingly extends beyond the original scholarship recipients.
Once alumni enter the workplace, many begin supporting relatives, mentoring younger students and introducing other graduates to professional opportunities.
Hatua reports that its alumni are contributing to the education of more than 600 relatives, friends and community members.
Some graduates have also returned to work within the organization itself. By 2024, alumni represented 42 percent of Hatua’s team.
This creates a growing cycle of opportunity.
A student receives support, completes an education, enters the workforce and then helps someone else move forward. The person who once needed an opportunity becomes the professional, mentor or employer opening doors for others.
Leadership Grounded in Community
Mwakio’s leadership has received wider recognition.
He is an African Visionary Fellow and Obama Foundation Scholar and holds a postgraduate certificate in Strategic Leadership from Columbia University.
Yet the strongest evidence of his work remains visible in the young people progressing from classrooms into professional careers.
His journey demonstrates that community development is most powerful when it is designed for the long term.
Hatua does not leave students at the school gate after paying their fees. It walks with them through adolescence, higher education, career preparation and entry into employment.
Why Peter Kwame Mwakio’s Story Matters
What started with seven students in Likoni has become a growing network of educated professionals connected to the communities that raised them.
At Sisi Kenya Media, we celebrate Kenyans who see a problem and choose to become part of the solution.
Peter Kwame Mwakio’s work reminds us that breaking generational poverty requires more than one opportunity. It requires consistent support, trusted relationships and a pathway that carries a young person from promise to independence.
Through Hatua Network, he is helping build that pathway—one student, one graduate and one family at a time.
