Kenyan university students, who were shortlisted for an international youth talent exchange program in China, share experiences with teachers and students at the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, on April 24, 2026. (Xinhua/Liu Qiong)
NAIROBI, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Five Kenyan university students who were shortlisted for an international youth talent exchange program in China said they are ready to put their newly acquired laboratory technology skills into practice, vowing to promote food safety nationwide.
Speaking at the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi recently, the group shared how a month of hands-on laboratory work at Tianjin Normal University, alongside professors and master's students, helped bridge the gap between theory and practice as they now begin their job search.
Syprine Otieno, a biochemistry major at the University of Nairobi who is also studying Mandarin, said that her tour of China significantly improved her laboratory skills, especially in detecting food pathogens.
"When we were testing different samples of meat such as buffalo, pork, and shrimp in China, I gained much experience using advanced laboratory equipment, which gave me food safety expertise that I could not have acquired if I had not gone to China," Otieno said.
The exchange program focused on cultivating interdisciplinary talent through a Chinese language and food safety testing model, enhancing Kenyan youths' technical and data analysis skills while improving their Mandarin proficiency and cross-cultural understanding.
"Each of us was given a chance to prepare our own food sample, and that helped us learn more individually because everyone had their own results," Mackay Ansimiirwe, a food science and technology major at the University of Nairobi, told Xinhua.
"Each of us would go back and inquire to understand why the result turned out the way it did. This was different from working in a laboratory as a group and arriving at the same result as a team," Ansimiirwe added.
The students also shared cultural exchange experiences outside the laboratories, including calligraphy, opera, and spending evenings at museums, where they made friends with the help of translators.
"I am very grateful for the exchange program because I experienced both the academic and practical aspects, which I can apply in my field, especially now that I am a job seeker after graduation," said Valerie Lucy Njeri, a crop science major at the University of Embu.
"The program has been an eye-opener for me. It was my first time boarding a plane, and I was both excited and nervous," Njeri added.
The students are now eager to apply for Chinese government scholarships to pursue postgraduate studies and gain expertise in operating modern diagnostic equipment.
The scholarships will offer them a longer period of laboratory training and better equip them with food safety skills as they enter the job market and continue to promote China-Kenya cooperation in education and culture.
Wang Shangxue, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, said that the program aligns with the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, providing a platform for training in food safety standards, laboratory technology, and data analysis, alongside basic Chinese language skills.
Dasel Mulwa Kaindi, chairman of the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Technology at the University of Nairobi's Faculty of Agriculture, said the program was critical in exposing Kenyan youth to the latest technologies in food processing, safety, and standards.
"When students are exposed to this kind of top-level knowledge and technology, they have a much better chance of future employability," Kaindi added. ■
Kenyan university students, who were shortlisted for an international youth talent exchange program in China, share experiences with teachers and students at the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, on April 24, 2026. (Xinhua/Liu Qiong)
Kenyan university students, who were shortlisted for an international youth talent exchange program in China, share experiences with teachers and students at the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, on April 24, 2026. (Xinhua/Liu Qiong)