Support pours as more children seek help to join Form one

A Form One student waits to be admitted at Anestar Boys High School Lanet in Nakuru. [Kipsang Joseph/Standard]

After the report by the Saturday Standard on the desperate students who performed well in 2019 KCPE exam but cannot raise Form One fees, individuals and corporate firms stepped up to help. We received several emails from people who said they were moved by the plight of the students.

The directors of Broadway Bakery in Thika offered to pay Sh25,000 for each of the six students among the ones we highlighted. They will be reaching out to George Wanjohi who had scored 407 marks but his mother could not raise the fee.

“I am glad someone read his story and was touched. I took him to school and he had nothing. Even the mattress he is sleeping on was donated by the school,” said Wanjohi’s mother, Evangeline Wanjiru.

The bakers will also partly assist Regan Mutsembi who scored 405 marks and was admitted to Kapsabet Boys High School. His father, a boda boda rider, said they have been struggling to raise funds and they were not lucky.

Others who they offered to help are Kevin Kipyegon of Murang’a High School, Isaac Keithi and Trevor Macharia. They were also ready to pay fees for Shadrack Mithambo but the Sunday Standard established that the student, who was called to Lenana Boys had already been sponsored by another well-wisher.

There were also individuals who came forth with offers. Most of them asked for contacts of the students, with promises to reach out to them and make payments directly to the schools where they had been admitted.

Kumar Sheth who had offered to sponsor two students, said: “Let’s do what we can to have a better country in the future,” solidifying many of the messages of hope that the respondents had for the students.

Some students like Godfrey Jumapili from Kilifi and Esther Omondi from Nairobi whose cases had been highlighted but had not got sponsors were still hopeful that they will not miss their Form One places.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has extended the admission dates for Form One students. The exercise was to end on Friday, January 17 but has now been extended to January 24.

“In order to ensure no learner is left behind, the ministry has made a decision to extend the reporting deadline,” reads a circular sent by Education PS Belio Kipsang.

Even with the extension, there are students who are still seeking help and shared their stories with the Sunday Standard.