Slum resident wins prestigious award

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.

After primary school and no hope of joining secondary school, Njuguna could have opted to sink into the world of alcoholism or drug abuse like many desperate young people do but he opted to patiently wait for his luck.

So he stayed at home for two years. Then in 2007, a charitable organisation took him to Kiambu High School and paid his school fees. He studied till 2010, when he sat his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and scored straight As.

Coveted prize

After being shortlisted for the award, Njuguna joined the other 12 contestants at the Brookhouse International School for one year in Nairobi for training and finally won the coveted prize.

He was emotional when he stood to receive his award, which was presented by former vice President Moody Awuor in the presence of his mother, invited guests, teachers and friends at the school.

When he spoke, he recounted his family’s struggle through life and hoped that his luck was the beginning of many successful things to come.

University of Liverpool’s International recruitment and relations officer Jonathan Moore said they were pleased to accept him and praised him for his brilliance and sharp mathematical skills.

“We hope that the education he will receive at the Liverpool will be of great importance. When he returns, he will surely improve the welfare of his country and a people he identifies with,” said Moore.