It’s dream come true for bright, needy students
Students earn Wings to Fly scholarships to pursue secondary education, during an event at Kenyatta University on January 3, 2020. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Diana said she was to be married off had the KCB Foundation not intervened to facilitate her entry into secondary school.
- Roy, 13, aspires to be a lawyer. He said his family has been living from hand to mouth after his father was diagnosed with cancer.
Thousands of bright but needy students who sat the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations last year have a reason to smile after various organisations offered to cater for their fees and other expenses.
Below are some of the learners who have received help:
Elizabeth Mwita, Mombasa
Marks: 389
Bura Girls
The 14-year-old had very little hope of continuing with her education beyond Standard Eight.
Elizabeth lost her father while a toddler and so her mother became the sole breadwinner.
But her mother has been battling alcoholism and Ms Mwanamvua Fadhili, her teacher at Migadini Primary School in Changamwe, stepped in to help. She is a recipient of the Elimu Scholarship.
***
Katy Safari, Lamu
Marks: 401
Mama Ngina Girls High School
Katy is from a poor background, having been raised by a single mother.
Her elder brother also excelled in KCPE but was forced to become a fisherman to support his mother and siblings.
She will be sponsored by Equity Bank Foundation through the Wings to Fly programme.
***
Hassan Ali, Lamu
Marks: 382
Kenyatta High School (Mwatate)
Hassan, who comes from a pastoralist community, could have easily dropped out of school and become a herder.
The turnaround came when he was admitted into Equity Bank’s Wings to Fly programme. “My dream was almost shattered since my parents are very poor.”
***
Sanirei Rikoine, Narok
Marks: 412
Kisii High School
This was the second time Sanirei, 14, was sitting KCPE. He was a candidate for the first time in 2018 and scored 387 marks.
Sanirei comes from a polygamous family: his father is married to three wives and has 24 children.
“In my mother’s household, there are 10 of us and we depend on my brother, who is hired to herd cows for other people and paid Sh3,000 per month,” he said.
Sanirei’s hopes of getting an education are secured after the KCB Foundation gave him a scholarship.
***
Diana Narinoi Esho, Narok
Marks: 372
St Marys Girls, Mumias
Diana said she was to be married off had the KCB Foundation not intervened to facilitate her entry into secondary school.
The 16-year-old said her father, the family’s only bread winner, is battling cancer.
***
Phyllis Nyambura, Kirinyaga
Marks: 361
Mayori Girls, Embu
Even after performing well, Phyllis had little hope of joining Form One as her mentally ill mother could not raise school fees for secondary school.
As such, she cannot thank Equity Bank enough for admitting her into the Wings to Fly programme.
“Very soon I will be joining the school of my choice,” she said.
***
Roy Koome, Meru
Marks: 433
Moi High School, Kabarak
Roy, 13, aspires to be a lawyer. He said his family has been living from hand to mouth after his father was diagnosed with cancer.
Thanks to a bursary from the Constituency Development Fund in his South Imenti constituency, Roy is now more at ease ahead of admission.
***
Joseph Oloo, Siaya
Marks: 358
St Mary’s, Yala
After the Nation highlighted his plight, he has been helped by the old boys’ association of St Mary’s Yala, led by Mr Maxwell Oduol. Joseph lost both parents at the age of nine.
At 14, the responsibility of taking care of his younger siblings lies on his shoulders.
***
Yvonne Cheyech, West Pokot
Marks: 281
Nasokol Girls
Yvonne says she has moved closer to her dream of becoming a pilot after being assisted by the Equity Bank Foundation.
“Our father has been admitted to Kapenguria County Referral Hospital and we don’t have anything,” said Ms Phyllis Chepkemoi, her sister.
***
Leakey Mark Finley Odhiambo, Kisumu
Marks: 424
Mang’u High School
Leakey, 14, will be smiling all the way to Mang’u High School after getting a sponsor on board following the coverage of his plight by the Nation.
Leakey scored 424 marks after sitting KCPE at Arina Primary School in Kisumu County.
He is a partial orphan who lives with his mother, 36-year-old Josephine Anyango, at Manyatta slums in Kisumu. His sponsors requested not to be named.
***
Vanessa Achieng, Kisumu
Marks: 340
Rae Girls
The partially deaf girl, who sat KCPE at Nyamasaria Primary school, is one of the beneficiaries of the Elimu Scholarship.
With her parents being jobless, Vanessa was considering joining a neighbouring day school instead of Rae Girls so as not to strain her parents financially.
***
Winnie Jepkorir, Elgeyo-Marakwet
Marks: 381
Kolanya Girls
The 13-year-old has the Nicholas Biwott Foundation to thank for securing her dream of secondary education.
Having lost her father in 2007 when she was barely two years old, Jepkorir has been living with a single parent while schooling at Kapkei Primary School.
Her mother has been fending for the family through washing clothes in the neighbourhood at a fee.
