When free primary education was introduced in the country in 2003, Kimani Maruge, then 84, took many by surprise, not just in Kenya, but across the world, when he decided to enrol in Standard One at Kapkenduiywo Primary School, Uasin Gishu County.
So awe-inspiring was his decision that he inspired the 2011 movie, ”The First Grader: A True Story of Kimani Ng’ang’a Maruge”, which was directed by Justin Chadwick, an English actor and television and film director. Maruge was also declared the oldest pupil by the Guinness Book of World Records. In the movie, Mr Maruge expresses his resolve to learn how to read, without which, he says, he was no different from a goat.
EDUCATION
In 2005, the Mau Mau veteran addressed the UN Millennium Development Summit where he spoke of the importance of education.
“It is my dream that nobody will have to wait for so long the way I did to receive education. It is a basic human right,” he told the UN meeting in New York attended by dignitaries from all over the world, some five years before he died in 2009.
Even in death, his rare spirit of resilience, daring and perseverance continues to give Kenyans, who for varied reasons, were unable to go to school or complete their education, the courage to seek knowledge and the ability to read and write, earning him accolades posthumously.
For instance, in 2015, Google Inc. featured Maruge on its homepage, celebrating his resolve to acquire formal education using a customised doodle that read: “11th anniversary of Kimani Maruge’s first day of school.”
Today, cases of learners of advanced age have become commonplace.
Take the case of Ms Mercy Wanjiru, for instance. In 2010, the 40-year-old woman awed many after scoring 379 marks in that year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination.
Ms Wanjiru, a mother of three, had enrolled at Kangurwe Primary School in Giathugu Location, Mukurwe-ini constituency, the year before in Class Seven, years after dropping out of Chinga Girls in Form One due to lack of school fees.
STUNNED FRIENDS
She scored 82 marks in English (A), 72 in Kiswahili (B+), 75 in Mathematics (A-), 72 in Science (B+) and 78 in Social Studies and Religious Education (A-).
That same year, 46-year-old Samuel Kitur sat his KCPE examination alongside his teenage daughter, Chebet, and went on to beat her by 16 marks. The father was the fourth best candidate at Bomet Primary School, with 172 marks, while the girl came seventh overall with 156 marks out of 29 candidates.
That same year, 46-year-old Samuel Kitur sat his KCPE examination alongside his teenage daughter, Chebet, and went on to beat her by 16 marks. The father was the fourth best candidate at Bomet Primary School, with 172 marks, while the girl came seventh overall with 156 marks out of 29 candidates.
The father of four had dropped out of Cheborian Primary School 31 years earlier in Standard Six.
But just what inspires someone to go back to school at such a time when many would have written them off based on age?
We asked Stephen Mbiu, who in 2010 — the same year Wanjiru and Kitur were making headlines — stunned family and friends with his decision to join Form One at 27.
Mbiu narrates a scene from an old American TV show shot in the 70s. In the scene he refers to, a middle-aged woman expresses her desire to go to medical school, but feels she is too old to do so. Her friend asks, “How many years will it take you to become a doctor?”
“10 years,” says the woman.
“And if you do this, how old will you be when you finally become a doctor?” asks the friend.
“50,” says the woman.
“50,” says the woman.
10 YEARS
“And how old will you be in 10 years if you don’t go to medical school?”
“And how old will you be in 10 years if you don’t go to medical school?”
“50,” she replies, perplexed by the line of questioning.
“What will you be doing in 10 years if you don’t go back to school and get your medical certificate?” the friend closes the discussion with a question that clears all the doubt in the woman’s mind.
Mbiu’s argument is synonymous with a common phrase: No one is too old to follow their dreams.
Mbiu’s argument is synonymous with a common phrase: No one is too old to follow their dreams.
It has been a taxing 10 years of struggle to get formal education which, he says, means the world to him.
“I believe that the only thing that would change my life and make me a better person is education.”
At 37, Mbiu is a man who wears many hats. He is a psychology student in a local college, a writer, a freelance journalist and an entrepreneur who runs a photography and videography business.
But the journey to get to where he is today has been long and tedious. After sitting his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination in 1998, and managing to score 310 marks out of a possible 700, Mr Mbiu was upbeat about joining secondary school. But that dream would not come to be, at least not in the near future.
Instead of proceeding to high school, his parents enrolled him in a polytechnic to study an electrical installation and electronics course, arguing it was more affordable compared to the out-of-reach high school fees.
LOVES READING
“For someone who loves reading, this was the first of many disappointments I’ve encountered,” he says.
“For someone who loves reading, this was the first of many disappointments I’ve encountered,” he says.
A few months later, the institution was closed down, forcing him to drop out. However, his principal, who had noticed his passion, registered him for exams in a neighbouring polytechnic.
But even after acquiring the papers, jobs were not forthcoming.
“I enrolled for computer studies to improve my chances of getting a good job; I even took driving classes to further increase my chances, but none of those measures worked,” he says.
When his attempt to set himself up with a good job in the cold village he comes from in Limuru failed, Mbiu did what most young people in his situation would do: migrate to the big city.
Fortunately for him, he was able to get a job in Nairobi as a shop attendant, though the job paid a paltry Sh1,500 a month.
Fortunately for him, he was able to get a job in Nairobi as a shop attendant, though the job paid a paltry Sh1,500 a month.
“I worked here for three years and saved as much as I could, my intention to open my own business,” he says.
Mbiu describes himself as an aggressive person, a trait that saw him quit his shop attendant’s job to start a business many kilometres away in Eldoret, where he knew no one.
“I started my business with one carton of biscuits and, within a few months, I was doing so well, I was selling more than 50 cartons in a day. However, the run-up to 2007 elections created a lot of tension in the area, forcing me to return to Nairobi.”
POULTRY BUSINESS
Mbiu may have lost his thriving business in Eldoret, but not his urge to acquire formal education.
“When I returned to Nairobi, I worked at my brother’s shop for three years, and seeing that the only thing standing between me and my dream of acquiring education was money, I began saving as much as I could, and to supplement my savings, I began a poultry business back at home and asked my father to run it for me.”
By the time he decided to return to school, he had saved enough money to put him through the first two years of school.
In January 2010, he enrolled in Form Three at St Peter Claver’s School, adjacent to Nairobi’s Bus Station, which has a long experience in tutoring adult learners.
“A few months on, I realised that concepts such as the mole in chemistry were hard to grasp. I, therefore, decided to join Form One,” he says.
Maruge’s decision to go to school at 84, he says, made his own decision easy.
“I asked myself, ‘if such an old man could make such a decision, why not me?’”
So how did his family react to his decision?
“I don’t know who said it, but it must have been my mother, she said: “I’ve been expecting it for so long.”
DISAPPOINTMENT
Mbiu enrolled in Form One in Narok Boys’ High School in 2010 but, due to his age, he explains, he had to be cleared to join the school by the Ministry of Education’s officer in Narok District.
“It was amusing that both the principal and the education officer expressed similar concern when I approached them with the idea of joining school. They both wondered whether I would be able to keep pace with 13-year-olds,” he says, breaking into laughter.
“It was amusing that both the principal and the education officer expressed similar concern when I approached them with the idea of joining school. They both wondered whether I would be able to keep pace with 13-year-olds,” he says, breaking into laughter.
Asked about his experience here, Mbiu talks fondly of his experience: “There was a day our class failed to clean the dining hall, so the new dining hall captain took the opportunity to assert his authority.
He rounded up everyone and instructed us to kneel down on the wet floor. The students expected that I would defy his order, me being much older than he was, an adult that might as well have been his teacher, but to their disappointment, I obeyed. Later on, the captain apologised for making me kneel down, and we became good friends.”
In general, he says his fellow students were gracious and respectful. Many of them often asked him for advice, which was flattering. He adds that he was gratified when the school principal allowed him to give a motivational talk to the school every last Wednesday of the month.
So, is there something that he would do differently if he went back to school today, we ask.
“I think one of the biggest mistakes I made at school was becoming a bookworm. I slept less than three hours a day, I remember walking with my friends to the dorm to sleep after evening preps, only to sneak back to class to continue reading. Also, I never participated in sports, but instead hid a book inside my shirt, which I read while others played. If I went back to school today, I would strive to strike a balance between studies and extra-curricular activities and take things easy while at it,” he says.
ACHIEVED DREAM
Even though he did not manage a grade that would earn him direct entry into university, he says high school and college education has changed his perspective about life. Also, he can articulate himself better. He is, of course, glad that he has achieved his dream.
Even though he did not manage a grade that would earn him direct entry into university, he says high school and college education has changed his perspective about life. Also, he can articulate himself better. He is, of course, glad that he has achieved his dream.
Mbiu is currently writing a book titled Be a History Maker, which he hopes to publish soon.
“I visit schools around the country to motivate and give hope to young people. I believe I’ve found my true purpose in life,” he says.
The reason he does this is also deeply personal.
The reason he does this is also deeply personal.
“Before I joined high school, I contacted a number of people whom I thought would be willing to guide me. Unfortunately, most turned me down, and it had everything to do with my young age. You see, most people have this notion that young people who approach them for mentorship need their money as well. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most just want someone who can guide them through life and career.”