From hope to mama fua: A graduate's woes

Moi University graduate Gladys Jesang displays her certificates during the interview at Kwa Nancy trading centre, Kapsembeiywet village, Uasin Gishu County. [File, Standard]

It is double trouble for jobless graduate Gladys Jesang.

The 35-year-old mother of three is struggling with homelessness while raising her children in squalid conditions in Soy, Uasin Gishu.

Like many university graduates, Jesang had high hopes when she graduated 13 years ago with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from Moi University.

After years of sending out curriculum vitae and application letters, her hopes of building a better life for her family have all but faded.

At her home in Kwa Nancy trading centre in Kapsambeiywet village, Jesang sits deep in thought, clutching a porridge gourd. The science graduate is preparing to walk to another part of the village to wash clothes for local residents, the work she depends on to feed her children.

Even as she prepares a late breakfast on a warm mid-morning, her mind is on how she will provide the next meal. One of her greatest concerns, she says, is encouraging her children, aged between four and 10, to take their education seriously, considering her own circumstances.

Jesang recalls how she unsuccessfully sought employment with the Kenya Defence Forces for years before turning to menial jobs, including washing clothes.

“I have asked myself countless times what the need of going to school was. Many times I get so depressed that I think of setting my CVs ablaze, but something tells me to hold back my anger. Some people are being hired with only high school or diploma certificates, yet I hold a Second Class Honours degree and have nothing. It’s painful,” she says.

Her troubles began after her mother died. She says she was kicked out of her parents’ home by a sibling who questioned why she had not secured a decent job or got married.

“When our elder brother started quarrelling with us daily, telling us to find husbands, our father, Vincent Rotich, a retired officer with the Kenya Prison Service, intervened and told him to leave us alone. But his advice fell on deaf ears. He even threatened to kill us if we did not leave. That is why we are staying here in a mud-walled house,” Jesang says.

She says her life and that of her children now depend on well-wishers.

“Good Samaritans like Mama Ann Cheruto have been taking care of us. I cannot forget Engineer Stephen Ochieng and Nicholas Koech, both from Eldoret. May you be blessed abundantly,” she says.

“Those who have stood with me, thank you so much, especially Eng Ochieng. I am not the only one you have helped. I have seen you fight for the welfare of the youth. God will reward you,” she adds.

Forced to rent a mud-walled house at Kwa Nancy, Jesang survives on casual work.

“I wash clothes for primary school teachers and do other chores such as washing utensils. I am paid Sh200 a day. That is how I survive,” she says.

The third-born in a family of five — four sisters and a brother — Jesang says she has never disclosed her academic qualifications to her employers for fear of losing her only source of income.

“I have suffered for 13 years. Some people think I am a primary school dropout because of the kind of jobs I do,” she says.

In 2014, she says, luck appeared to smile on her when she was enlisted by the National Police Service and issued with a docket number after a gruelling recruitment exercise.

She was among hundreds of youths recruited into the service, but her joy was short-lived when the NPS cancelled the entire exercise, citing massive irregularities.

“I scored a B plain at Kapkenda Girls and did everything possible not to disappoint my parents, who sold everything to educate me. After doing my best, where am I now?” she asks, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Jesang also recounts the hardships she and her four sisters endured after their mother, Catherine Rotich, died 20 years ago following a long illness.

“I humbly appeal to President William Ruto and Governor Jonathan Bii to save me from this frustration. Just offer me a job to enable me to feed my children,” she pleads.

Ann Koech, a relative, says Jesang has endured numerous challenges.

“She has the academic papers. Let the government create an opportunity for her, even if it means giving her a slot in the next police recruitment,” Koech appeals.

Mercy Jepkemoi, a neighbour, says Jesang has often complained about her brother’s mistreatment.

“Thank you to the media for coming to witness the hardships this lady is going through. She is both a mother and a father to her family,” she says.

Efforts to reach her brother for comment were unsuccessful, as his phone went unanswered throughout the day.