Mathew Aol stretched the imaginable limits after sitting for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) 9 times; twice being gaining admission to Maranda High School and once in Kapsabet High School, among other highly reputed schools/CFM-Abu
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 28 – How far can the quest for education drive a person with no financial means?
Mathew Aol, now a final year student a Kenyatta University, stretched the imaginable limits after sitting for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) 9 times; twice being gaining admission to Maranda High School and once in Kapsabet High School, among other highly reputed schools.
He saw friends finish their secondary school, join university and graduate, as he stagnated in one place, painfully so, but with courage and determination.
To put this to context, a child was born and turned 14 years, before Aol could get financial help to join a secondary school.
For years, he knocked doors of local politicians and other people; some outrightly lied, others made promises and then there is the lot that shut the door as fast as it opened.
At some point, Aol would have short stints in high school before being expelled due to lack of school fees – his burning desire to become ‘someone’, he says, would push him back to Class 8, hoping tomorrow will be better.
This year, a 36-year-old Aol finishes his studies at the Kenyatta University, after fighting to accomplish his dream to attain education, his youthful years having slipped off his hands.
“I all along knew, if God can provide food for birds and wild animals, why not a person. He has created in his own image?” he rhetorically posed during an interview with Capital FM News.
His greatest concern: what next after graduation? Will I get wasted away, like other graduates with no jobs?
Aol hails from Nyakach, Kisumu County and is the ninth born in a family of 13 children and among the only three who managed to at least attain a Kenya Certificate for Secondary Education (KCSE).
He first sat for his KCPE in 1998, where he managed to garner 476 marks out of the possible 700 and secured an admission slot to Kabianga High School, but due to lack of school fees, he could not join the institution.
Aol took a break until 2008 when he returned to primary school; Agoro Sare primary (2008), Aldo Rebby Academy (2009 under scholarship) and Agape Academy Kosele (2010)/FILE
Aol would later move to Rongo Primary School in Migori County, in 1999, where for the second time he sat for KCPE and even improved his performance after managing to get 559 marks.
“I was admitted to Kanga High School, but in Form Two, I was expelled due to lack of school fees. A relative who had offered to help withdrew due to family issues,” he narrated.
With no hope that he would be able to continue pursuing secondary education, Aol enrolled back for KCPE, this time in Kitele Primary School where he scored 387 marks out of the possible 500.
He was admitted to Rapogi High School in Migori County but did not report, again, due to lack of school fees.
In 2003, he joined Sony Sugar Primary school within Migori County, where he scored 399 marks and for the second time readmitted to Rapogi High School.
In 2004, a good Samaritan offered to sponsor him to Rangwe Junior Academy, where he managed to get 434 marks.
At this point, Aol took a break until 2008 when he returned to primary school; Agoro Sare primary (2008), Aldo Rebby Academy (2009 under scholarship) and Agape Academy Kosele (2010).
In all those years, he would be admitted to prestigious national schools, but never reported.
“All this happened because I am from a poor background,” he said.
“I wanted to learn, I was ready, but no one extended a hand of help to me. It is only the hope that one day I will overcome that pushed me.”
In 2011, Aol sat for KCPE in Oriri Primary School and got 403 marks and was admitted to the prestigious Nairobi School.
Luckily, he says, Equity Bank through the Wings to Fly scholarship sponsored his secondary education, ending a 14-year desperate pursuit for education, while at the age of 29 years.
“I all along knew, if God can provide food for birds and wild animals, why not a person. He has created in his own image?” he rhetorically posed during an interview with Capital FM News/CFM – Abu
“I was older than most of the training teachers at the Nairobi school,” he recalled.
“I ignored the fact that I was the oldest in my class or among the students in the whole school and focused on what took me there.”
At Nairobi School, he said it “was home away from home” while mentioning the teachers who saw him through even though for the four years, no relative visited him.
In 2013, when he was in Form 2, his mother turned blind, a development that took toll on his performance before he bounced back.
“While I was all along strong, this really affected me. It affected my performance,” he admitted.
He sat for Kenya Certificate for Secondary Education (KCSE) in 2015 and scored a B Plus, with 71 points.
He is set to graduate later this year from Kenyatta University with a Bachelors degree in Public Policy and Administration.
“I have been getting Sh45,000 per year from the Government scholarship,” he said.
While completing his studies is exciting, a sense of anxiety is building up, for the fear of the unknown.
His aged parents’ expectations are that their life and that of their 9th born will not be the same again, after graduation.
“I know no one, I am just worried whether I will get a job,” Aol revealed.
-I am available to inspire students-
He would not wish any other Kenyan to go through his experience and that is why he is pleading with the government to champion access to education.
“Other than speaking to parents and students, the Government should ensure that there are structures to support them through their education,” he said.
“There are many parents willing to take their children to school, but they can’t due to financial hardships.”
Even with the campaign, some counties like Kilifi have more than 50 per cent of pupils still at home due to a myriad of challenges, among them lack school fees.
“No child should go through my experience. Let the Government plan well and ensure no one misses school due to lack of fees,” he said.
He believes there is enough money for that if the government can cut wastage and curb the graft menace.
According to the United States Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter, Kenya loses a staggering Sh800 billion to graft every year.
“There is a big fund available that can fix all your problems. Every year, $8 billion is stolen from this country,” the envoy said during a visit to Kenyatta University in June last year.
“If we can just take that fund, your problems would be solved. In Kenya, there is a choice to be made.”
Aol is a case of hope against none and just a case study in a worrying situation across the country, where thousands of youths have given up and resorted to crime and drug abuse.
But the big question is, will Aol meet the expectations of her aged parents after completing his studies at Kenyatta University?
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