Teenager treks daily to Kisii town in search of school fees
Jane Omenda Ndemo,19, at their home in Marani, Kisii on August 23,2022. Ndemo has launched an appeal to well wishers to help fundraise for her calling to join Tom Mboya University to pursue a Bachelor of Education course.
A needy girl from Kisii County has been trekking 32km daily from Marani to Kisii town and back in search of money to fund her university education.
On one of her trips, she visited the Nation Media Group office in Kisii town and narrated her ordeal.
Jane Omenda Ndemo, 19, said she sat her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam this year and scored a C+ and was admitted to Tom Mboya University.
“We have not been able to raise money for my education. I walk to Kisii town every day from our home in Marani to try to look for well-wishers,” Ms Omenda said.
“It is a difficult task given that I am a young lady, but I have to do that as I take care of myself because I have no option.”
She said if she does not seek help, she may be forced to defer her education to a time when a well-wisher will come to her aid.
“We need at least Sh53,000 for me to report to school on September 5,” she noted.
She said her father, Daniel Ndemo Asuma, pushes a handcart and sells water to Mamboleo residents in Kisumu County.
Her father separated from her mother when she and her siblings were young and the children live with their grandmother.
“We have been living from hand to mouth. The little income my father gets is not enough to sustain us. My grandmother is sickly and is no longer able to take care of us,” said Ms Omenda, the fourth-born in a family of five.
Aspires to be a teacher
The bright but needy girl aspires to become a teacher so that she can help inspire other girls in her community to compete with others in the world.
Ms Omenda sat her KCSE at Samolel Secondary, a day school in Kericho County, with the support of her aunt.
Mrs Teresia Sigara said she will be happy to see her granddaughter complete her university education.
Mr Dominic Ndemo, Ms Omenda’s brother, said that because of their poor background, her parents engaged in endless wrangles and finally separated.
“We are praying for help. My sister is the only hope our family has. My elder brother and I were not lucky to complete our education,” said Mr Ndemo.
