Nehemiah Koech is among 667,222 students who sat for their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams in 2019.
Despite performing well in his final exams, he has been unable to secure an opportunity in any higher learning institution to pursue his dream of becoming a cardiologist because of financial constraints.
Here is Nehemiah’s story as told by WoK.
Background
Nehemiah sat for his KCSE examinations in 2019 and scored A-.
However, three years later, the top performer is yet to proceed to university to pursue his interest in cardiology.
In an interview with Citizen Digital, Nehemiah noted that his parents are sick and unable to afford school fees to see him through college.
Nehemiah studied at Baringo Boys High School for his secondary school education, where he was sponsored by Cooperative Bank student sponsorship program.
He had hoped to get help from the bank to proceed to college but the same was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After I got my results I was supposed to go to St. Pauls University to study Computer Science
“But when I went to the bank to see if they would sponsor me, the bank said the funds for sponsorship beyond high school had dried up due to COVID-19,” he said.
Visiting office of the Governor
Nehemiah tried to approach local leaders including visiting the Office of the Governor but he would end up receiving fake promises.
“I tried to talk to people who would connect me to the MCAs. Every person I would reach out to would commit to do something but not actually complete the journey,” he said.
With no means of making a living, he works as a watchman and engages in other casual jobs to make some extra income.
“So I decided to get a job. I found someone who had some rentals and needed a watchman. They agreed to pay me Ksh 200 a day. I also do some odd jobs so I don’t remain idle,” Nehemiah said.
He makes Ksh 6,000 per month which he uses to support his three younger sisters who are still in school.
However, despite the challenges, Nehemiah hopes to make it to college and fulfill his dream of becoming a cardiologist.
“I don’t feel good, but I still work hard and I still have that hope that something will change,” he said.
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