Keiyo South MP Gideon Kimaiyo revealed that as a young boy, he made a commitment to refrain from marriage until he had earned his PhD.
The lawmaker has now fulfilled that promise, having successfully graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in International Relations during the University of Nairobi’s 71st graduation ceremony on Friday, September 20.
With this accomplishment, Kimaiyo now says that he can finally consider the prospect of becoming a husband.
“I can even do it on Friday evening after graduating. When I was going into politics, people said I wouldn’t be elected because I wasn’t married; that I should look for someone and do a quick wedding. I said No,” he stated.
To further exemplify his principled nature, Kimaiyo recounts that he refrained from undergoing circumcision until he had completed his secondary education.
While it is customary for most boys to partake in this rite of passage during their early teenage years, he chose to delay the procedure, a decision that was not without its challenges.
Kimaiyo noted that he frequently faced the pejorative term “ng’eta,” which is used to refer to boys who have not yet undergone the ritual.
He opted to postpone circumcision as he wished to diverge from the conventional expectations for boys in his community.
Kimaiyo’s reasoning was that such a rite would not significantly alleviate the severe poverty that his family experienced.
Coming from a household that engaged in the sale of alcohol, there were numerous occasions when he returned home for lunch only to find that no food had been prepared, as their parents were preoccupied and unable to attend to the children’s needs.
“Mostly, when young people get circumcised, they start drinking alcohol (as they consider themselves old enough) then get married at a young age. I made a promise to avoid these,” he said.
Education
Kimaiyo completed his Kenya Certificate of Secondary School Education (KCSE) at Kiptulos Day Secondary School, having transitioned there from Tambach High School.
He had previously finished his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) at Kaptarkok Primary School in 2000, which led to his enrollment at the prestigious Tambach, renowned for producing numerous prominent figures in the Rift Valley region.
The only tuition fee he paid while at Tambach amounted to Ksh 8,000, which was raised through a fundraising initiative as he prepared to enter Form One.
However, by the time he reached Form Three, the fees had accrued significantly, and a change in the school’s administration proved detrimental to his situation, particularly following the departure of a principal who had been sympathetic to his circumstances.
As such, he was forced to transfer to a day school.
“My fees were paid through milk, which my father was supplying daily to the school. It was used for making tea in the school,” he said.
Kimaiyo scored a B in his KCSE but needed a B+ to go to university forcing him to explore other options.
“After high school, I taught at Kaptarkok Primary School (his former school) as a volunteer teacher for two years. During this time, I tried to apply to several colleges. They gave me admission, but I could not proceed because of lack of fees,” he stated.
