Financial Struggles Threaten Dreams of Two Kenyan Students

By Jael Sada 

In Kakoneni, Kilifi County, Michael Mlewa Mrabu harbors a simple yet powerful dream: to become a teacher. An intelligent and determined student, Michael recently completed his secondary education with a mean grade of C+, qualifying him for university admission.

The Kenyan education system allows any student who attains a minimum grade of C+ or above to join university, where they can pursue a course assigned by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), the body responsible for placing students into higher education institutions.

Michael's acceptance into South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU) in Kitui County, facilitated by KUCCPS, should have been a moment of celebration—a step toward fulfilling his lifelong ambition. However, the reality of his situation casts a shadow over his hopes, threatening to turn his dream into an unattainable goal.

"After getting my results and realizing I had secured a place at SEKU, my hopes soared," Michael recalls, his voice tinged with both pride and pain. "But they were shattered when my mother told me she had no funds to send me to university."

Michael's journey to this point has been fraught with challenges, but his unwavering desire for education has kept him moving forward. His elder brother, a humble shopkeeper, had shouldered the responsibility of funding Michael's high school education. However, as Michael now faces the higher costs of university, his brother's financial limits have been reached.

"My brother, who has been like a father to me since we lost ours, told me he could no longer help. He has a family of his own and cannot afford to raise university fees," Michael explains.

His mother, a single parent and peasant farmer, struggles just to provide for the basic needs of the household. The idea of raising funds for university is a burden too heavy to bear.

"It feels like I'm so close yet so far from achieving my dream," Michael says softly, the weight of uncertainty evident in his words. "I want to be the first in my family to go to university, to lift us out of poverty, but now I don't know if that will ever happen."

Similarly, Yaseen Ramadhan from Bungoma County faces financial obstacles. A bright student, Yaseen scored a B+ in his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams and was recently admitted to Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) in Kakamega County. Like Michael, Yaseen is filled with ambition but hampered by a lack of resources.

Yaseen Ramadhan from Bungoma County

"I was called to pursue a bachelor's degree in paramedic science," Yaseen shares, his voice steady but his eyes reflecting the strain of his circumstances. "However, I haven't been able to pay a single rupee toward my school fees. I'm expected to pay 82,000 Kenyan shillings annually, but my father, a boda boda rider, and my mother, who is jobless, simply cannot afford it," he says.

Yaseen's academic journey has been one of perseverance and misfortune. The Bungoma County government sponsored part of his high school education, but that support mysteriously ceased when he reached Form Three. As a result, his school fees piled up, leaving him with arrears of 36,000 shillings even as he graduated from St. Luke's Boys High School in Kimilili.

"I had to beg my principal to allow me to get my results slip so I could be admitted to university," Yaseen says.

Now Yaseen faces an uphill battle to continue his education. Placed in the government's Band 4, which assumes a parental income of 120,000 shillings per year, he finds himself misrepresented.

"My father doesn't earn anywhere near that amount, but here I am, expected to pay fees as if we have money," Yaseen explains.

As deadlines approach, the pressure mounts for Yaseen. "I'm supposed to register for my semester's courses soon, but without paying at least 50 percent of the fees, I can't," he says. "I'm just hoping God touches someone's heart to help me. I am so thirsty for knowledge," he adds.

For Michael, the dream of becoming a teacher feels close but heartbreakingly out of reach. "I don't want to give up. Education is the only way I can change my family's future," he says.

As both young men wait and pray for well-wishers or sponsors to step forward, one question remains: Will their dreams come true, or will they be forced to watch them fade away due to circumstances beyond their control? For now, they hold onto hope, knowing that their future—and the future of their families—hangs in the balance.