The dream of a young girl from Kathanjuri village in Runyenjes constituency, Embu County of becoming an Information Technology (IT) expert is on the verge of collapse after failing to join university this week over lack of fees and other basic necessities.
The 21-year-old Frida Bahati, who got a grade of B- (minus) in KCSE from Nguviu Girls and was admitted to the University of Embu to pursue a degree in IT managed to report to the university earlier this week but had to return home for lack of fees.
The young mother of a five-year-old boy has had a bumpy life, as she had to drop out of school as a result of teen pregnancy but managed to resume studies a week after giving birth in 2021 out of sheer determination to not abandon her education goal.
She narrated how she had to overcome ridicule, stigma and poverty to complete her secondary education with a firm belief that education was the only way to end her family’s poverty.
Bahati, who was born into a family of seven is the shining star of her family after being the only one who has managed to achieve the educational feat of qualifying to join university, as the rest of her siblings dropped out at different stages.
However, her desire to turn around her family’s fortunes now hangs in the balance after she failed to raise the required fees to allow her to commence classes alongside her counterparts next week.
She reported that she had applied for a HELB loan whose outcome is still pending, further complicating her career goal.
“I was the beacon of hope for my family and had convinced myself that I will be the one to deliver my family from abject poverty one day,” she said, amid sobs.
Bahati said she managed to complete her secondary education through bursaries and support from well-wishers.
Upon completion, Bahati said she had been doing casual jobs around her village area to support her mother in the provision of daily needs such as food.
Her mother Bertha Marigu, who is a widow, said what she makes from her menial job is hardly enough to meet their basic needs, and her daughter’s education needs at the moment were out of her reach.
“Many are the days we go without food, but we have to keep fighting hoping for a brighter day,” she lamented.
Her daughter’s return home after failing to secure admission has plunged the family into deeper desperation and that is why they have called on well-wishers to come to their aid.
Any help to the girl can be channelled through her M-Pesa Till Number 6288746 registered under the name Fridah Kamwangi.
By Samuel Waititu
