Woman's 15-year wait for university admission ends with a scholarship

For the past 15 years, Milly Nafula has been dreaming of a future with stethoscopes, prescriptions and emergency rooms. She’s been thinking about delicate procedures, late-night calls and life-saving decisions.

When is it too late to stop dreaming? Is it ever too late to go back to school and actualise your dream? For Ms Nafula, 32, hope springs eternal. After one and a half decades of struggle, she’s now shaping her dreams.

She had scored an A- in the 2007 Kenya Certificate Secondary Education (KCSE) at Manor House Secondary School in Trans Nzoia County and there was excitement that she would be admitted to university. But Alas! Things, as they say, don’t always happen in a linear process. She never got the admission letter. 

Ms Nafula turned to menial jobs to make ends meet. But deep done, she still harbored hopes of a career in medicine. And so, her fortunes turned around last December when her case was highlighted by the media. 

She has been admitted to Mount Kenya University to study medicine. The university’s chairman, Prof Simon Gicharu, delivered the news to the mother of two. “I have delivered her a scholarship of Sh3.5 million as I promised for her to study one of the most prestigious courses in the country for the next six years,” he said. 

Ms Nafula was also given monetary assistance, a piece of land with a furnished two-bedroom house at Hututu village in Cherang’any to “ensure that she has no worries while pursuing her studies in the school”.

“We are committed as an institution and I have been assured by the university and Equipe African College that we are going to do everything possible to ensure that indeed we offer quality education to her,” said Prof Gicharu during a ceremony at Equipe African College, an MKU campus in Trans Nzoia. 

Prof Gicharu challenged able Kenyans to “always look back and help others who cannot put something on the table”.

Ms Nafula, who could not hide her tears of joy, said it’s been tough for her family since their parents are both dead. 

“I thank God for this day and I thank the university chairman for extending a helping hand to me. I promise to walk in his footsteps to assist other needy cases once I am done with studies,” she said.

“I had to work as a casual labourer in a posho mill to support my siblings. That’s how I used to pay rent. The house will give me a peace of mind. My family will have a home while I pursue my studies,” she added.

Rev. Herman Kasili said Ms Nafula, who hails from Chepchoina, would be a better person in life because she’s hardworking and caring.

“What started as a mere media highlight has turned out to be a life changing story. We are grateful to all who believed in her since it took a lot of sacrifices to assist her yet she was just another girl in the village,” he said.

Ms Nafula had a rough time in her secondary school education after her single mother was sacked from her position at a bank in Moi’s Bridge and resorted to selling local brew to raise the family.

“I joined Manor House High School in Kitale in 2003 but dropped out for a whole year while in Form Three due to lack of fees. My mother sold our land so that I could complete my Form four in 2007,” she recalled.

Ms Nafula’s long wait for an admission letter from one of the universities courtesy of the defunct Joints Admissions board (JAB) was not forthcoming, prompting her to seek assistance from her former school.

“The head teacher told me that they had not received any letter and called on me to follow up the matter with JAB. I liaised with the then Trans Nzoia West District education office for assistance,” she said.

One education officer wrote to JAB about Nafula’s case but received no response. Her letters were also ignored. She was eventually advised to visit JAB offices in Nairobi but she had no money for the trip.

“My mother died in 2012 while my sister passed away in 2013. This brought my life to halt, forcing me to seek employment to take care of my siblings,” said Ms Nafula.

She resorted to menial jobs. One of her uncles got her a job as a cashier in a mobile money transfer stall. She, however, suffered a blow after she lost Sh25, 000 to fraudsters.

“My employer tasked me to repay the money. I was now required to carry out domestic duties in his homestead. With my Sh2, 000 pay, I had to forfeit half of it to repay the debt,” she said.

Amid the problems, she fell in love and gave birth to two children. 

The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) stated that the defunct JAB had placed Ms Nafula under the regular programme, contrary to media reports that she was never selected.

In a press statement last year, the agency’s chief executive Agnes Wahome said they were ready to work with relevant stakeholders to help Ms Nafula realise her career aspirations.

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