Triumph against all odds for guard who scored a first class

They will tell you of a jack of all trades who mastered the art of surviving at a university amid a pressing need to meet his tuition expenses as well as support his deprived family in Kitale.

He was seen at the people’s homes gardening for an income, in the school library working on other students’ research projects at a fee and on construction sites sweating for a living. He admits that helping other students with their research projects was his favourite hustle.

A social sciences student, Namoso says he did not limit himself just to his field. He took up any challenge that came his way and helped students in a variety of fields with their projects. “It was the easiest hustle for me because it was the only thing I did seated. Again, analysing different topics helped me gain vast knowledge in many areas,” he says.

He says he enjoyed working on a laptop that a student offered him for his assistance with a final year project. From analysing projects and coding information from research projects, Namoso says he made Sh500 which is way below the standard Sh1, 500 charged for the same services.

The Hospitality and Tourism Management graduate recalls how he never knew rest during his stay in university. After long nights of patrolling at the hotel, he would rush back to his rented single room in Machakos and prepare for his classes.

According to Mr Duncan Shirandula, Hospitality and Tourism Management dean at Machakos University, Namoso was an epitome of success against all odds at the university.

“Looking at him, you could immediately know that he was struggling to meet his needs even as he tried to put on a brave face. We are proud that he has set an example for other students to emulate,” Mr Shirandula said. He said Namoso was one of the students who never missed a class even though he was engaged in numerous hustles in in school.

Prodded on his toughest job, Namaso points to his short stint as a night guard at a hotel in Machakos.

“I was not allowed to sit or sleep the whole night. I always felt danger lurking from all sides and I never knew how to engage thugs if any came to rob the hotel. It is the toughest job I have ever done,” Namoso said. He would leave the hotel and rush to class on an empty stomach, stinging eyes and puffed-up legs for standing all night. After several nights of working at the hotel, Namoso walked away empty-handed.

“I have been looked at as the poorest of the poor from the time I was very young until in my college days,” Namoso read to a touched audience. He went on to reminisce how he worked for his neighbours who in turn gave him food for his family that lived in a single room grass-thatched house at a village in Kitale.

The family of seven children shared the single room with their parents and would go for days without a decent meal. In secondary school, Namoso says he juggled books with working alongside grown men on construction sites, pushing carts in the market and harvesting stones which he hawked at construction sites. In the speech, he encouraged his fellow graduands to bravely take on the New Year as they plunged in the crowded job market. But for Namoso who scored a first class and emerged the overall best student at the university, fate has finally smiled on him.

He is among the few lucky ones who will not suffer the brunt of an arduous job search in the crowded market, thanks to his good performance. By the time he was leaving the graduation grounds, Namoso had already received four job interview invitations from company representatives who had attended the graduation to scout for prospective employees. This included an illustrious offer to work at a top hospitality firm in Kigali.

“I have been busy. I just concluded my Skype interview with the firm in Rwanda. It was the last on the list of interviews I had. Now I must decide where to work,” said Namoso.

With a future that seems bright, Namoso says he intends to support his sisters who sought solace in marriage at a tender age to escape difficulties at home. He says a desire for a fat salary is not what drives him as he selects places to work.

“I am not just looking at the amount recruiters are willing to offer. I am looking for an organisation that will offer me an opportunity to grow and support children from poor backgrounds, especially those from my home area,” he says.