A house help working in Nairobi was among the top performers in the 2015 KCSE results announced yesterday. Everlyne Bonareri Chachi scored a B+ of 70 points with A in mathematics despite having to work during school holidays to pay her school fees, Nairobi News reports.
She was schooling at St Charles Lwanga Gesero, a day and boarding school in Kisii. Bonareri’s dream is to enroll for an accounting degree at the University of Nairobi after which she intends to go into business.
The 21-year-old had earlier on scored a C plain during the 2013 KCSE but lack of school fees forced her to stay at home the whole of 2014. “During that time I worked at a hotel in Kisii town for a monthly salary of Sh4,500. I used part of this money to clear my high school fee balance of 11,000,” narrated Bonareri.
Later her parents advised her to attempt the exams again so as to meet the required university degree qualifications under the government programme.
“In 2015 I went back to school after a year of staying home while working at the hotel and my parents sold part of our land to pay my school fees.”
The second born in a family of three would work during school holidays so as to meet other school expenditures and after completion she moved to Nairobi to work as a househelp.
Bonareri whose parents, in their 50s, are farmers in Bogiakumu Village in Kisii’s Bonchari Constituency intends to work hard to pay the university school fees if selected through the government programme.
Raising college fees
Her current employer, Betty Muringa, who lives in Umoja estate told Nairobi News that she intends to help Bonareri excel in her college education. “When she came to my house in January she told me she wanted to work so as to raise her college school fees and am glad she has passed her exams and will be joining a university,” said the mother of one.
According to Mrs Muringa, Bonareri is hardworking and as a result of her poor family background, she has always had to pay her own school fees. Bonareri will be among the few members of her extended family to have set foot in a university as her elder brother is a standard eight drop out while other members of her family are farmers.
Her struggle through secondary school was evident when she had to drop out in form two due to lack of school fees but the Principal at St Charles Lwanga Gesare allowed her back to school after three months. “I talked to the teacher and promised him that I would clear my school fees after completing form four and that is why I worked at the hotel after school,” said Bonareri.
Her dream is to excel in life so as to set precedence in her sleepy village where the only professionals are teachers. (Nairobinews.co.ke)
does education really pay? they went to the extent of selling a piece of land. is it worth it, i think not.