I was a construction worker during lockdown, 'A' student says

Athman Simon Wabwire’s sterling performance in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination is nothing short of a miracle.

Life has been a struggle from the day he was born to a teenage mother who was still in primary school in 2002.

The man responsible for the pregnancy took off and left the girl to fend for herself.

Through hard work, determination and prayers, Ms Juliet Nanjala raised a boy who has made her proud 19 years later.

Wabwire scored an A- (minus) of 75 points at Istiqama Secondary School in Malindi, which had offered him a four-year scholarship.

But he still had to overcome many obstacles to post the impressive grade.

As other candidates studied online in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, Wabwire worked at construction sites to supplement his mother’s earnings.

Ms Nanjala, who also has a six-year-old son, is a domestic worker in Mombasa.

“I did not open my books during the seven-month break last year. I would wake up early to work at construction sites. Studying in the evening was impossible as I was tired,” he says.

The single-roomed house does not even have electricity.

“I have never owned a smartphone so the option of online learning was out. I only heard of students attending online classes,” he says.

In between jobs at construction sites, it was also Wabwire’s responsibility to take care of his sibling since their mother worked throughout the week.

“My mother only comes home on weekends. I have to ensure there is food and other basics for the two of us,” he says.

Wabwire took his lessons seriously when schools reopened.

He revised his notes and books to catch up with the rest of the class.

“I am a fast learner. I hardly forget what I read so it was easy to get what the rest of the students had done,” he says, adding that he has always dreamt of being an engineer.

Wabwire started school at St Augustine Primary in Changamwe, where he left at Std Four to join Bright Academy for a year.

He then moved to two other schools before joining Bashir Primary, where he sat the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education test and scored 376 marks out of a possible 500.

“I shifted from one school to another due to lack of fees. Whenever I found a Good Samaritan to support my education, I had to move to the school of his choice,” Wabwire says.

The boy was to join Shimo La Tewa High School but did not as his mother could not afford the fee.

“We were almost giving up when one of my mother’s friends informed us about scholarships offered by the Shariff Nassir Foundation. I applied and was absorbed into the programme,” he says.

Wabwire was then admitted to Istiqama Secondary School on a full scholarship.

“I joined the school two months after the rest of the Form Ones had been admitted but vowed to keep my dreams alive. I knew things would work out,” he says.

Like other parents with 2020 KCSE examination candidates, Ms Nanjala was worried about the months Wabwire had been out of school.

“I thank God for this miracle. I know my son is a good student but did not expect such a performance,” she says.

“His father left when I was young. I was thrown out of the family house since the man could not be traced.”

She had to look for work to support herself and the child.

“That is how I became a house-help. I have raised my son with the little I get,” she says.

As she celebrates her son’s good performance in the national examination, Ms Nanjala is also calling on well-wishers to help Wabwire complete his education when he joins university.

Istiqama Group of Schools director, Omar Shariff, says Wabwire’s KCPE examination grades earned him the scholarship.

“Ethnicity and religion do not matter to us when helping a bright and needy child. We dealt with his situation as best as we could,” Mr Shariff told the Nation yesterday.

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