By Rawlings Otieno
Francis Njuguna Wangui’s stars are shining bright after winning the prestigious British scholarship.
The former slum boy has been recognised for his talent and gifted academics performance.
A happy Njuguna, 20, told The Standard that his happiness is beyond measure as he is now certain that his dreams will come to fruition.
He beat 12 other contestants in an interview to emerge the winner and is now heading to the University of Liverpool for an undergraduate Degree in Mathematics and Finance.
Before landing this chance, Njuguna’s dreams were indeed just wishful thinking, for his life as a child of a struggling single mother living in the Keresha slums of Naivasha, he didn’t have the liberty to let his hope for a bright future soar.
Njuguna’s life has been one of struggle. His father died when he was in Standard One and his uncles, he says, threw him and his siblings out of their home.
Life of struggle
Ever since, Njuguna and his four siblings lived in destitution and going through school depended on the mercy of others.
His mother, Ruth Wangui, did menial jobs to pay school fees but sometimes the demand for fees and upkeep was too overwhelming and Njuguna had to stay out of school twice, for two years each time, for lack of fees.
“I had to stay home that long since we were poor. Food itself was a problem and raising money for school fees was unaffordable luxury,” says Njuguna.
His mother worked in the flower farms; weeding, plucking the flowers and doing any other work that came her way to earn a living and fend for her children. She was able to see Njuguna through primary school, which he finished in 2004.
