Jemimah who scored an A-minus in the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations has been forced to wash dishes to raise school fees for her college education.
She comes from a very humble background in a village in Kitalale, Trans Nzoia County. Jemimah is determined to fulfill her dreams of becoming a medic.
Her parents are unable to raise tuition fees for her, she says that her parents struggled to see her finish secondary, she has applied for several bursaries and scholarships but with no success.
Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) had placed her at the Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) to pursue a bachelor of technology degree in medical laboratory sciences. She has yet to report.
“I was called to the Technical University of Mombasa but due to financial problems, my family has not been able to take me there,” Jemimah said.
Her father who works as a caretaker stated he has been trying to raise fees for her daughter’s tuition fees but he makes so little that it’s not even enough to cater for their daily expense at home.
“I have been trying my best to look for money to raise the fees but the money I make is just not enough,” her father said.
Cases of students missing school due to lack of fees have been on the rise. In July 2021 another top student who sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) risked joining secondary school.
Faith Mumo was selected to join Kenya High School after scoring 443 marks out of a possible 500 in KCPE.
Her father explained that he was depending on several well-wishers who never turned up when he needed them the most.
“There are several people and corporate organizations and private organizations and leaders who promised to support us but have since gone silent,” he explained.
