MY STORY: Back to school at the age of 33

Catherine Wanjiru, a wife and mother of three who is sitting for her KCSE exams this year. PHOTO| COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • Sitting for my KCSE is the conclusion of a journey that got derailed 16 years ago. I was born and raised in a family of seven in Kangubiri village, in Tetu, Nyeri County.
  • On one hand, I felt I was too old to start all over again. How would my classmates see me? How would I fit in? Who would I interact with? Some of my friends advised me to enroll in adult classes but I wanted the fulfilment that comes with going to school like other students.
  • There were also others who felt that I should have been content with life as is. But I wanted my children to know that motherhood or marriage should not be a limit to what they can achieve.

“My name is Catherine Wanjiru. I am a 33-year-old wife and mother of three girls and one boy. This month I sit for my Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination. I will be facing off with my daughter who is also sitting the same exam at Kieni Girls High School in Meru. I will not be sitting this exam as a privately registered candidate, but as a formal school-going student.

“Sitting for my KCSE is the conclusion of a journey that got derailed 16 years ago. I was born and raised in a family of seven in Kangubiri village, in Tetu, Nyeri County. My father worked as a mason while my mum was a casual labourer. Unfortunately, she was physically and mentally challenged."

“Although we did not have much to get by, my parents worked hard to ensure that we all attended school. They saw education as (our saviour). But they not afford to take us to secondary school. I sat for my KCPE in 1998. During that examination week, my mother was admitted to the Nyeri Provincial Hospital’s psychiatric ward. I scored 354 points out of the possible 700. Perhaps I could have done better but I was weighed down by mum’s health condition. “Nonetheless, I managed to get a Form One slot at Gaikundo Secondary School in Mukurwe-Ini."

I was forced to relinquish it after my parents failed to raise my school fees. Today, I can still recall the way my throat scorched in pain as I watched my friends pack up for their first term in secondary schools. I cried and thought that it was my parents’ fault that my academic journey had aborted."

“In February 1999, my aunt enrolled me in a tailor’s shop at Gakindu market in Mukurwe-Ini where I took a six-month dress making course but my heart was not in it. I have not touched a needle or a sewing machine since. After completing the course, I went to live with her in Nairobi’s Eastleigh Section 3 estate. It was there that I met my husband, Sammy Kimaru, who worked in Industrial Area. After a few months of dating, we decided to get married in 2000. Two years later, we were blessed with our first born son, Bernard, who is now in Form Two at Lenana School."

Catherine Wanjiru is a Form Four student at Riverview High School, Njiru. PHOTO| COURTESY

“Although I was a stay-at-home wife and mother, I ran small businesses which included a beauty and cosmetics salon, a general kiosk, and a boutique. These businesses never broke even. Deep down, I still felt incomplete because I hadn’t been able to complete my education. It would have equipped me with the knowledge to run these enterprises profitably. And so, towards the end of 2014, I decided to go back to school. This was not easy."

“On one hand, I felt I was too old to start all over again. How would my classmates see me? How would I fit in? Who would I interact with? Some of my friends advised me to enroll in adult classes but I wanted the fulfilment that comes with going to school like other students.

There were also others who felt that I should have been content with life as is. But I wanted my children to know that motherhood or marriage should not be a limit to what they can achieve."

“In January 2015, I joined Form Two at Riverview High School in Njiru. My early days in school were not easy. I had not been in a classroom for 16 years, and I had to reboot all that I had learned in order to catch up with the class. I thank God that my family and teachers were supportive. Two years down the line, what started as a far-fetched dream is now a reality. Between classes, I have also embarked on a music career, and I have recorded two gospel albums so far."

“As my exam date nears, I must admit that there are times that I have felt anxious. Will my academic dream be derailed again? Yet, I am confident that I’ll put up a good fight. I’m looking forward to joining university next year, breaking the academic ceiling and finally being in a position where I can mentor less privileged girls. I know that with God’s grace, I will succeed!”