While thousands of her peers in the 2021 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams are joining secondary schools, Nancy Aluoch Okoth remains desolated.
Nancy, 14, scored 367 marks in 2021 KCPE exams and was the best pupil at a little-known academy within Kitengela township, where she was under sponsorship. The school – Golden Plains Academy – had given her a chance to join them after years of trekking for more than 25 kilometers to-and-fro attending a public primary school in Athi River, Machakos County.
Her incredible performance earned her a form one slot at Moi Girls Nairobi, a dream that now appears elusive due to the abject poverty her family is grappling with.
Since the release of the 2021 KCPE exams results, Nancy, a fourth born in a family of six, has been left to seek other alternatives to ensure her dream to become an accountant does not fade away. Together with her mother, she has been combing the neighbourhood looking for menial jobs to raise her form one school fees.
When the Nation caught up with her in their single-room rental house in Kitengela town last Friday, Nancy looked forlorn after a long day of toiling.
“I wake up by 5am, read a little bit to make my mind alert before accompanying my mother in search of menial jobs. Sometimes we wash clients’ clothes until my whole body aches and becomes numb,” Nancy narrates.
Her mother, Esther Awuor, lost her job as a house help due to the Covid 19 pandemic and since then, she has been washing clothes from house to house to put food on the table.
“The economy has not favoured us as a family. I lost my job at the time I was earning Sh7,500 monthly as a house help. At the moment I only look for cleaning jobs from house to house but with very little success,” said Ms Awuor.
Struggling to raise her daughter’s school fees, over the past two weeks, Ms Awuor has only accumulated Sh2,000. Money she also intends to use to partly pay her house rent amounting to Sh2,800.
The father, Charles Okoth, works as a casual labourer in a private flower firm and is engrossed in paying fees for their son at a local university and another daughter in secondary school, a responsibility he says has not been easy as he has to continuously borrow from friends to carter for his family.
“I have six children, one in university and two in high school. My little salary cannot pay their school fees. A decent meal to my family has been a wishful thinking for us. It’s so painful to see my daughter at home,” said Mr Okoth.
Nancy’s primary school head teacher Mr. Julius Mutembei said the young girl was bright and won the administration’s heart for the sponsorship.
“She is a disciplined, hardworking girl. Her determination and resilience earned her the sponsorship. We pray that she gets a helping hand in order to join a secondary school of her choice,” said Mr. Mutembei.
