Siaya widow's cry for help as son earns University admission

Egerton University main campus main entrance on February 9, 2022 [File, Standard]

On the morning of August 18, 2025, when thousands of freshmen streamed into Egerton University for reporting day, James Madere sat quietly in his mother's small home in Usoga village, Usigu sub-county, staring at an admission letter as tears rolled down his face.

The 18-year-old had worked tirelessly to secure a place to study Law, but poverty had chained him at home.

Madere, the sixth-born in a family of seven, had scored an impressive B+ (plus) in his KCSE exams, but he could not report to campus because his former school, St. Mary's School Yala, had detained his result slip due to Sh121,000 in fee arrears.

He told The Standard that without the crucial document, his university dream was reduced to a letter folded neatly in his hands.

READ ALSO: Egerton University sends engineering students home over course non-accreditation

Despite these setbacks, Madere remains hopeful.

"I want to become a lawyer in order to fight for justice and help the less privileged in society," he says.

His mother, Josephine Awino, a widow, struggles to hold back tears as she recounts the journey.

"Since my husband passed on, life has been a daily struggle. I have done my best to educate my children with the little I earn, but now I feel helpless," she says.

Awino adds that she has raised her seven children single-handedly through menial jobs that barely put food on the table.

"My youngest son is also preparing for KCSE later this year," she said, appealing to well-wishers, leaders, and the wider community for support.

She added that education is the only inheritance she can give her children.