Kisii Governor Simba Arati has come to the rescue of a student after her plight was highlighted by Nation on Monday, September 5.
In the article, 19-year-old Jane Omenda Ndemo narrated how she trekked for 32 kilometres daily from Marani to Kisii town in search of funds to settle her University education.
A representative sent by the governor noted that Arati had cleared the fee balance amounting to Ksh85,000. In addition, the governor had given Ksh20,000 for shopping expenses and promised Ndemo a job once she graduated.
“We saw a story done by Nation highlighting your plight as a family. I was sent by Kisii governor, Simba Arati who urged you to work hard and elevate the status of your family.”
“Once you’re done with university, doors will open and you may get a job from the governor as he will still be in office. What I urge you is to work hard as some of us did not get this chance. Others attended day schools, worked menial jobs to pay school fees,” he stated.
The representative noted that Ndemo was accorded the opportunity to elevate her family out of abject poverty. He added that she ought to set an example for the rest of her peers.
“Jane, you’re the fourth person who the governor has assisted in school fees today. He has begun the Simba Arati educational fund that will seek to help the less fortunate. The work has begun. The governor assures that he is willing to walk alongside those children to ensure they get quality education,” he noted.
Ndemo scored a C+ in this year’s KCSE and was admitted to Tom Mboya University. Determined to get help, Ndemo visited Nation Media Group offices in Kisii town to share her plight.
She noted that her parents divorced when they were young hence her four siblings went to live with their grandmother. To raise Ndemo’s fees, her father turned to water vending and pushed a handcart in Kisumu county. This was, however, not enough to sustain the family.
“We have been living from hand to mouth. The little income my father gets is not enough to sustain us. My grandmother is sickly and is no longer able to take care of us,” she stated.
