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| Homa Bay man Kevin Okumu sweeping the KU campus (l). Okumu in his graduation attire (r). |
A young man from Homa Bay county has narrated his journey after graduation from Kenyatta University (KU). Kevin Okumu graduated from the prestigious university with a Bachelor’s degree in population science. Which grade did Okumu attain in KCSE? His education and personal journey were full of challenges that prompted him to work harder.
Okumu recounted the onset of time times after he completed the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), scoring a B+. “I enrolled in KU in 2015.
My parents were on theri way to visit me in my first semester when they were involved in an accident. They were in a friend’s car when they got into an accident around Narok and died on the spot,” he emotionally recalled.
He was forced to drop out of school and took odd jobs as he lacked money to pay his school fees following the devastating loss. When did Olumu resume university studies? He shifted his focus to his two young siblings as he became the sole breadwinner of the young family. “I used my HELB loans to pay the school fees for my sibling following me.
I worked at a construction site, and the little I got, I supplemented it with the HELB money, though it was not easy,” he noted. After four years, Okumu returned to school, paying a penalty fee of KS 2,000 and resumed his studies while working as a cleaner.
He worked tirelessly, balancing work and education to pay his fees and care for his family, which paid off in the end, as he graduated with flying colours.
by John Green