Pain of bright girl who can't raise school fees

Yvonne Akinyi with her admission letter. [Photo: Collins Oduor/Standard]

As students who were selected to go to national schools take up their slots at the institutions, Yvonne Akinyi remains a dejected pupil as she cannot join Lugulu Girls high school due to lack of school fees.

Akinyi scored 392 marks out of the possible 500, but now her chance at the school may go to a ‘more deserving’ student as her family cannot raise the Sh70,000 required as school fees.

According to her admission letter, she was to report on Friday 6.

Her mother Alice Otieno has already received a call from the institution warning her that the space will be given to another candidate today (Monday) if she does not report.

According to the 14-year-old resident of Nyalenda slums in Kisumu, her joy of passing the examination has now turned into pain as she does not know what to do next.

No scholarship

Her widowed mother was previously a trader at Oile Market in Kisumu’s central business district, before she and other traders were ejected by the county administration.

Ms Otieno says that when her daughter passed her examination, she banked her hopes on well wishers to help raise fees to send her to secondary school.

However, her efforts to seek a scholarship from potential sponsors such as Equity Bank, Family Bank Foundation and Kenya Commercial Bank Foundation did not bear fruit.

“I had high hopes of getting into my dream school through sponsorship as I understand my family well and I know I cannot expect anything beyond home upkeep. My hopes, however, died when I received a negative response from all three as I was told first priority is usually given to orphans,” said Akinyi.

Her star now appears to be dimming after the Lugulu Girls High School management warned that she risks forfeiting her place if she cannot report to school today.

Stay indoors

“I feel so bad when I meet my age-mates being taken to report to schools they have been admitted to. I have been indoors since Friday last week. It breaks my heart that I have not been able to go to school irrespective of my good performance,” said Akinyi.

The local Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church where the family worships raised Sh10,000 when Akinyi’s mother informed them about her daughter plight, but the money was barely enough to buy the items that had been listed on the admission letter.

But Akinyi says seeing the school box and the items inside including bathing sandals, a blanket and bed sheets bought using the church’s donation only remind her of a cherished dream that is about to be shattered.

 “I trust that God will open a way for my daughter and she will win this battle. My biggest challenge is however, trying to get her understand that,” said Otieno.

Nyalenda is among the settlements in Kisumu with a high number of early marriages due to high poverty levels, and Akinyi’s mother now fears her daughter may become part of the grim statistics if she fails to join secondary school.

Otieno’s first born, a daughter, could not continue with her education after she failed to raise school fees.