Just after the release of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), Margaret Baliseneka found herself in celebrations for excelling despite facing all odds.
Margaret, who was a student at Kenya High, encountered challenging times during her studying period as she had to drop out of school due to personal disputes with her parents.
This forced her to turn to becoming a hawker.
“For three months, I was just selling snacks and fries while staying with the family. I did not care what people thought about me; all I cared for was my life,” she said during an interview with Nation.
Later, she found herself working at a nightclub in the streets of Kilifi town after a friend introduced her to the job.
“I worked at the club for eight months for a monthly salary of Sh 12,000. That was enough for me at that time, and I thought I had started my life afresh,” said Ms. Baliseneka.
While working at the nightclub, her parents back home had started a search to look for her, reporting her missing case to various police stations.
The police traced her and arrested her in 2021. But before she could be ferried back to her hometown in Kakamega, her parents were summoned and advised to take her for counseling.
However, after years of doing menial jobs, where she had dropped out of school in 2020 while in Form Three, she saw the need to return to school and continue with her studies.
She joined Bridgewater High School in Njoro, Nakuru County, where she sat for her KCSE exams in 2023.
“I was made the head girl in the school, and I was greatly motivated to be a role model to other students,” Baliseneka, who scored an A- in the just-released KCSE exams, said.
She thanked God for the great performance despite not reaching her target of an A plain.
“I am happy because my good grades will help me achieve my goals,” Baliseneka, who wants to study medicine at the university, said.
