Mombasa Seeks Stronger Higher Education Ties with Indonesia

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia and Kenya are strengthening ties in higher education, with Mombasa County seeking new opportunities to expand access for its students. A delegation from the Mombasa County Administration visited the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology in Jakarta to explore collaboration and capacity-building initiatives.

Mombasa, Kenya’s second-largest economic hub after Nairobi, faces limited access to higher education, with only one public university currently serving the region. Economic challenges also prevent many young people from continuing their studies.

“Access to higher education remains very restricted due to financial constraints. Many cannot pursue further studies because of costs," said Local Minister of Education for Mombasa County, Mbwarali Kame, as quoted on the Indonesian Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology official website on Friday, February 20, 2026.

"We came to Jakarta to learn from Indonesia’s best practices and to strengthen collaboration in higher education and human resource development,” he added.

The meeting focused on expanding student exchanges and scholarships. Since last year, 17 students from Mombasa have already begun studies in Indonesia, following a three-month cultural and academic orientation program.

Indonesia also offers international scholarships such as the Kemitraan Negara Berkembang (KNB) Scholarship, which supports undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral studies for students from developing countries, including Kenya.

Another scheme, the Indonesian AID Scholarship (TIAS), managed by the International Development Cooperation Fund (LDKPI), emphasizes capacity building and development partnerships.

Director of Institutional Affairs at the Ministry, Mukhamad Najib, welcomed the delegation’s interest. “We are open to the forms of cooperation proposed by Mombasa. Strengthening higher education collaboration and human resource development is a priority we must continue to pursue together,” he said.

Najib also highlighted potential areas for academic cooperation, including agriculture, economics, energy and green development, vocational education, and industrial manufacturing.

Although Kenya’s embassy in Jakarta only opened in 2022, bilateral relations between Indonesia and Kenya date back to 1979, with education consistently identified as a priority sector. ***