It is race against time for a needy and bright girl from Kisumu county who is now in desperate plea for financial support to secure her form one place at Lwak Girls secondary school.
Flavian Achieng’ who hails from Kakola location in Nyando sub-county outwitted her humble background to post an impressive 372 out of 500 marks in the 2019 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations.
But the bright girl’s rising star is fast loosing sheen beset by unrequited efforts to secure a scholarship and join the coveted Lwak Girls, her dream Secondary School.
The undeterred but visibly worried 15-year-old while narrating her plight to the members of the Press at the backyard of her Kakola home is however categorical that quitting is not an option in the quest to further her education.
“I have knocked on countless doors that started with applying for bursaries and scholarships offered by the government and other like institutions including the Equity bank’s wings to Fly programme but to no success,” recounts Achieng’
Achieng’ is nevertheless resolute on her resolve of becoming a doctor in the future and nurses the unwavering hope that God, working through a well-wishers like the surprising knight in shining armor’s tale -will soon fast whisk her away to her cherished dreams.
And her mother, Maureen Akoth who ekes a living as a labourer in the nearby rice fields, reckons she wouldn’t’ agree more seeing as to how the young girl has been unrelenting in seeking for aid to further her education and transform her family’s living condition.
“It was actually her who suggested that we seek the intervention of the media to broadcast our predicament, my girl has worked hard and she deserves a chance to reach her potential” intoned Akoth,
Mother of five siblings remains optimistic that Achieng’s,her eldest daughter, tough luck soon dissipates and a Good Samaritan crystalizes to save the family’s ‘new pride’ ahead of the form one admissions’ deadline on Monday.
The first born in a family of five and her mother can be reached on mobile phone number 0796-841733.
Meanwhile, the government has been urged to review the operations and rules of the ‘Elimu Scholarship’ after hundreds of poor students were locked out from accessing the funds.
The Gilgil MP, Martha Wangari said the programme was unfair to some constituencies in disbursement of the school fees and wondered what criteria was being used.
The legislator noted that Gilgil which had one of the highest poverty levels in the country had benefitted from seven slots leaving hundreds of students from poor families helpless.
“When parliament resumes I shall raise the issue as we do not understand the formality and procedure used to support bright students from poor backgrounds,” she said.
The MP who was speaking in Gilgil town on Wednesday after disbursing Sh.3.8m towards supporting 88 needy students in various secondary schools in the constituency said the bursaries were insufficient and hence the need to review the Elimu scholarship.
Wangari added that the area CDF had set aside an extra Sh.6.3m which would be used to partially support needy students in their secondary and college education.
She said that there were over five slums in Gilgil which hosted tens of bright students, noting that the only way of supporting them was through education scholarships.
During the function that was attended by the students and their parents, the MP put on notice some school Principals who she said were irregularly increasing school fees.
She said that her office had already recorded some complaints over the illegal fee structures and challenged the ministry of education to act.
The MP regretted that the government plans for one hundred per cent transition from primary to secondary was in jeopardy if the issue of school fees was not urgently addressed.
The Chairman Gilgil Traders Association, Charles Karanja said the business community in the area was ready to partner with the MP to sponsor more poor students adding that harsh weather conditions coupled with high levels of poverty had affected education standards in the sub-county.
By KNA Team
