Brian Mbeche is racing to the Rotary Club in Kisumu just before six o’clock in the evening to report for his night job as a watchman. Mbeche is a student at the Kisumu National Polytechnic pursuing mechanical engineering.
Mbeche must balance job and school because, in contrast to his peers, he cannot withdraw to the luxury of his dormitory to study.
The 20-year-old man has been juggling his aspirations to become a mechanical engineer while working as a night guard to pay for school expenses for the past year.
The Rotary Club of Kisumu is located on one of the town’s most lonely streets, and it is obvious that Mbeche does not often blink at night because this area is where the majority of muggings take place.
But the engineering fanatic doesn’t give a damn about that. Where he will get money for his next meal and school expenses is his main concern.
“My parents are poor. I come from a family of eight children and my parents are peasant farmers who can barely afford my school fees, so I have to find a way to survive,” he says.
When Mbeche sat for his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination at St Francis Nyasagati Secondary School in 2020, his hope was to transition smoothly to college and pursue his dream of becoming an engineer.
But as fate would have it, the 20-year-old sixth born child did not achieve the minimum grade for direct entry into the university.
Stranded but still determined, he opted to do all sorts of odd jobs to raise school fees, and that’s when he joined Guardian Security Services as a night guard.
With his savings, he enrolled in polytechnic to pursue a diploma course in mechanical engineering, plant option. He says his peasant parents who hail from Boketa village in Kisii cannot afford his college fee.
“My parents took a loan to educate my brother on a parallel programme. They are still struggling to pay the loan so they cannot afford to support me,” says Mbeche.
Back at home, his parents have been trying to help him get bursaries from the county government. Meanwhile, Mbeche hopes he will get help, especially from the Higher Education Loans Board where he has made several applications.
The financial difficulties have caused Brian to miss the Kenya National Examinations Council exams that are currently ongoing. He hopes to get a well-wisher to support his education.
Mbeche hoped to make an easy transition to college and follow his dream of becoming an engineer when he took the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam at St. Francis Nyasagati Secondary School in 2020.
However, as luck would have it, the 20-year-old sixth born did not meet the requirements for immediate admittance into the institution.
He chose to undertake a variety of odd jobs to pay for school tuition while stranded, and that is when he decided to join Guardian Security Services as a night guard.
He enrolled in a mechanical engineering diploma program at a polytechnic with his money in order to pursue the plant option. He claims that his poor parents, who are from the Kisii village of Boketa, cannot pay his college tuition.
“My parents took a loan to educate my brother on a parallel programme. They are still struggling to pay the loan so they cannot afford to support me,” says Mbeche.
His parents have been working to win him county government bursaries at home. Mbeche is hoping for assistance in the meanwhile, particularly from the Higher Education Loans Board, where he has submitted numerous applications.
Brian was unable to participate in the currently taking place exams administered by the Kenya National Examinations Council due to financial issues. He is looking for someone who will help him pay for his
