By Vostine Ratemo
31 year old Edwina Akinyi Andiego, currently a first year student at Maseno University School of Education, has revealed what drove her to go back to school after 13 years.
In an exclusive interview with Education News recently, Akinyi reveals that to her, age is just a number when it comes to matters education and that despite the stigma she endured of being an adult and sitting in class with teenagers in high school, nothing will deter her from achieving her dream.
Akinyi, a mother of four (two boys and two girls ), is the only student from the 2021 class of Dago Thim Secondary School to secure a university slot after scoring Grade B+ (Plus).
Akinyi and her two siblings were raised by their step mother. Her upbringing was so toxic that she had to drop out of high school in 2007.
“Affording stationery was a problem. Getting even the most basic stuff like sanitary towels was a problem so I had to work in fields to at least afford what I needed. We used to be paid Ksh 70 after working the whole day and that was barely enough,” she explained.
She reveals that to be able to take care of some of her needs, she got into a relationship which turned out to be the worst decision of her life.
“I ended up getting pregnancy and as a result of that I had to be married because my family couldn’t stand the fact that I was pregnant at such an age,” Akinyi added.
She revealed that things escalated quickly from bad to worse and that since her husband is a small scale farmer, supporting the kids was a problem.
“His earnings were peanuts hence I had to join him in the farms to help provide for our family,” she said.
She adds that although she was happily married, she yearned to finish her studies and that her husband Enos Odie Andiego supported her decision.
Hobson Onchuru, the principal of Dago Thim Secondary school, granted her wish in2020.
“At first, many students avoided me but after sometime, they started liking me. I made friends with whom I have kept in touch to date,” she reveals, adding further that managing school work and family life hasn’t been easy since it demands sacrifice and dedication.
She added: “I am forced to skip classes on Mondays to help my husband take care of the kids. I was lucky enough to have been placed by Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Services (KUCCPS) at Maseno University so I usually reside at home and that has helped my marriage a lot,”
Akinyi is a voice of women from Nyahera Village and has championed and organised meetings with local elders to educate people on the importance of education.
“I’m happy to report that so far two women who had dropped out from school have gone back to school after a series of successful serious talks that we had. We are looking forward to the number increasing in the future.” She concluded.
