Although the government provides student loans for tertiary studies, some students still resort to alternative means to cater for expenses, as Stephen Njuguna says.
The third-year student at Maseno University who got a clean “A” in KCSE, attests that it is difficult for most students to rely on their parents to fully fund their education.
“I come from a humble background. During the school holidays, I do ‘kazi ya mjengo’ for as long as even two months,” Njuguna narrates. On why he does it, Njuguna says life at home has never been easy.
“I am a son of a single mother. We’re two siblings in our family. My sister, who is older than me, sacrificed and opted to drop out as our mother couldn’t get both of us through school. Unfortunately, she got a child. I couldn’t stand watching my mother struggle to provide for all of us. I vowed to do whatever it takes to ease the burden at home.” Njuguna earns KSh500 per day. This caters to part of his school fees, hostel fees, transport, and food expenses.
“I pay KSh15,000 rent per semester. Helb covers part of my school fees while my mother pays the balance. Huku ni comrade life, you must minimize. Kama nyumbani umezoea kukula 20 bob, shule unakula 10 bob ndio upate ya kesho na lunch tunainama,” he giggles.
Being the man of the family, Njuguna reveals that he throws in some coins to help pay rent at home. Effectively, this further strains his pockets, forcing him to make time out of his school schedule to earn extra cash.
“Sometimes, I carry loads at a fee at the Maseno market to at least get some supper money. Charges vary according to distance. Kuna distance ya KSh20, KSh50 na hata KSh100. On average I get about KSh200.”
Njuguna is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Film Studies. He is carving his way into creation under the stage name “Ndundori Master”. He digs into the ‘mjengo’ money to fund his short films.
“So far I’ve managed to buy a smartphone with high-resolution capabilities and a microphone,” Njuguna adds.
The upcoming creator-cum-journalist says he looks up to celebrities such as Njugush and Ken Kuraya.
Content created and supplied by: Legendboss (via Opera
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