He won’t give up on his quest to join university

He has sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination three times — the maximum allowed by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC). Still, Frederick Ogutu will not relent in his determination to attain higher education and become a professor, the complexities before him notwithstanding.

Mr Ogutu, 35, works as a messenger at Nyakongo Girls’ High School in Uyoma, Siaya County.

As the KCSE examinations went on last month, he could only wish that he was among those sitting the various papers to finally make it to university.

But because of a rule set by KNEC limiting the number of attempts at the exams to three, he could not. Yet he was so close, especially the last time he sat the examinations, missing the mark marginally.

But he has not given up and still sees university on the horizon, believing that somehow, somewhere, one day, his dream will become reality.

Ogutu is a soft-spoken family man who could not continue with school after Class Eight.

He is well known in Uyoma location as the hard-working man who sat for KCSE as a private candidate without attending any class and still attained good grades.

The father-of-two, guardian of his eight siblings, and the sole bread winner of his family with his little salary, Ogutu’s dreams seem far-fetched to everyone but himself.

He does not waver in his resolve. “As far as my dream is concerned, I am determined to try and begin a small journey there. Something tells me that I will make it…”

The man is eloquent, perhaps owing to his passion for books.

Ogutu sat for his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination in 1997 at Tanga Primary School in Uyoma and scored 397 out of 700 marks. Those were good results, sufficient to take him to secondary school, but his parents could not pay secondary school fees.

His first attempt at KCSE as a private candidate was in 2008. He earned a C-minus of 32 points, failing to get the pass mark to join university.

“I wanted to go to campus badly,” he says. “As a school messenger, I admired the students, but my main barrier was lack of school fees.”

Ogutu talks of how he would, as an alternative, burn the midnight oil to study at night without a syllabus.

“I just did random studies and borrowed (past) exam papers from Nyakongo Girls’ School. The teachers would mark my work to encourage me.”

The C-minus he scored in 2008 might have disappointed him, but it did not discourage his spirit.

“I did not give up and registered for the following year. With Nyakongo School teachers as my inspiration and the school library as a base for my curriculum, I steered on and never gave up,” he explains.

This second attempt earned him a C-minus of 35 points. He registered for a third attempt and scored a C of 44 points. That was not enough either to take him to university, where the minimum entry grade is a C-plus.

That was his last chance to join university through the KCSE route. Bondo district education officer Bicker Lunyagi confirms that KNEC only allows a candidate to sit for examinations three times.

Ogutu is now eager to try an alternative route. He explains: “I have written to the area MP, Nicholas Gumbo, to assist with sponsorship. I included the course that am interested in. I do not mind doing a diploma or certificate course, all am asking for are funds to help me succeed.”

He says he has unsuccessfully applied for a bursary from the Constituency Development Fund.

Ogutu explains that his quest to attain higher education began in 2002 when he came across a Form Four history paper that students had sat for, and discovered that he could answer most of the questions.

“I approached the school principal, Mrs Millicent Omondi, in 2007 and discussed with her my interest. She was very supportive and encouraged me to sit for the exams as a private candidate,” he recalls.

According to Mrs Omondi, Mr Ogutu’s quest for education is unbeatable, and that is the reason she encourages him and provides reading materials.

“He could study and do exams in school and teachers would mark his papers and it occurred to us that he was quite a brilliant student,” she says, and adds: “His performance in history is outstanding as he was one of the best in the joint history mock exams in Siaya County.”

His last score in KCSE earned him a B in the subject, B-minus in business education, C-plus in Kiswahili, D-minus in maths, C in chemistry, and C in biology.

The die-hard spirit in Ogutu shines through in his words and efforts.

“Am also a farmer and I have three bags of beans that I will sell and keep the money in my KCB account for future use in my education,” he declares.