Mother of five goes back to school, 14 years later

Edith Adhiambo, 34, displays her university admission letter at her home in Awello estate in Siaya town. [PHOTO: ISAIAH GWENGI/STANDARD]

SIAYA: When Anatole France said that to accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe, he might as well have had Edith Adhiambo in mind.

The 34-year-old mother of five is an inspiration in an area where the school-dropout rate is high. But her thirst for education has not been hampered by the numerous obstacles she has faced.

Despite dropping out of school in 1997 at Form Three, Ms Adhiambo picked up the pieces in 2011 and enrolled for secondary education.

And after a year of toiling, she scored a B- (minus) in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.

Despite being with her children in the same school, Adhiambo’s determination to pursue her dream was unrivalled.

Out of her five children, two are in secondary school, two in primary school and the last born who now lives with her paternal grandmother is in nursery.

She has not only puzzled residents of Awelo estate in Siaya town, but also her peers and family members.

“We thought that she was joking at first, but through her determination we’ve been supporting her to enable her pursue her dream,” Edward Ochola, Adhiambo’s brother says.

Adhiambo, who is married to a carpenter, tells The Standard that after 14 years out of school, she had a burning desire to return to school and pursue her dream.

“It has not been easy for me. To reach this far, I had to pass through many hurdles including taking care of my family and battling with a health complication,” she says

Her first born child, a girl, is in Form Three at Siaya Township Secondary School while her son is in Form One in the same school.

Adhiambo dropped out after she got pregnant.

PURSUE DREAM

She says her husband’s income could not sustain the family and she decided to supplement it by doing menial jobs in the village.

The mother of five says that her husband eventually kicked her out of their matrimonial home due to domestic issues.

“I have been trying to pursue my dream against my husband’s wishes. He sees whatever I do as a waste of time and resources,” she says.

When The Standard visited her in her single-roomed house at Awelo estate, she was studying with her eldest daughter.

She says: “I have not been able to pay my Sh500 house rent, which has now accumulated to six months.”

Adhiambo, the daughter of a retired civil servant also battles with a pancreas defect, which has seen her go from hospital to hospital.

“Life has not been very easy for me since I need at least Sh250,000 for surgery and at least Sh200,000 to pay my university education fees,” she says.

She is supposed to join Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Education on October 6.