Jared Omondi Atella is the embodiment of resilience , and his determination to gain admission to the bar remains unwavered despite the many hurdles that life has thrown his way, which have caused him to spend more than a decade on his academic journey.
The 37-year-old single father of two is a boda-boda rider based in Nyalenda, Kisumu County who aspires to become an advocate of the High Court of Kenya. However, he has faced significant financial challenges in his pursuit for education.
“I have always had a burning desire to become a lawyer to represent the vulnerable, especially those unable to raise legal representation fees and see them get justice,” said Mr Omondi stated in an interview with a local publication.
Twelve years ago, Omondi, he enrolled at the University of Nairobi to pursue a degree in Law, a bold step that left his friends and family stunned.
This was several unsuccessful attempts to eke out a living, during which he used his Information Technology diploma education to run cyber cafes.
Due to poor pay, Omondi tried his hand at construction as well as acting gigs to sustain himself.
“My next job was working at a construction site. While the pay was not that good, I would also engage in acting comedy and use the earnings to sustain my needs,” says Mr Omondi.
During his free time, the father of two says he would attend court sessions at the Milimani law courts, where his interest in becoming a lawyer began to develop. The visits became more frequent, and in 2012, he had made up his mind.
“In 2012, I applied to study law at the University of Nairobi and secured an admission at the Kisumu branch in 2013,” Omondi narrated.
He was fortunate to secure a data entry job using his earnings to pay for his university education.
In 2017, the same year he lost his job, he married his long-time love and welcomed a baby girl. Faced with these challenges, Omondi decided to defer his studies to seek employment to support his young family.
Another job opportunity came up in 2019 but the contract ended in 2020 during the height of the Covid 19 pandemic. His hopes of reappointment were bleak and Omondi turned to the boda boda business.
He purchased a motorcycle with part of his savings and hit the road after a couple of weeks training. The financial harships dealt a blow to his marriage leading to irreconcilable disagreements.
“The financial constraints saw me have constant fights with my wife who was against my boda boda business. Eventually, we parted ways in August 2020,” Omondi stated.
His children were taken in by his mother, so he would still see them on a daily basis during pick-up and drop-off to school.
With the children cared for, Omondi immersed himself fully in work, putting in extra hours to save enough money for the university fees.
Fortunately, with support from his family, friends and savings Omondi was able to clear the outstanding of Kshs 250,000 at the University of Nairobi and later got re-admitted to clear his four year course in 2023.
In December of the same year, he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B), Second Class, Lower Division bringing his goal closer to fruition.
Recently, Omondi faced significant financial challenges after securing admission to the Kenya School of Law and had been struggling to raise Kshs 150,000 to continue his education.
The boda boda rider appealed to well-wishers online for help and within three days, a group of advocates raised KSh 235,000 in just three days to help him return to school and achieve his dream.
“I am very much grateful for the advocates who came to my aid. In just three days, my entire tuition fee and exam money have been paid. I thank God for them,” he said.
