A girl who recently completed her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in 2022 is now seeking help to collect her documents from her former school due to unpaid school fees.
Nancy Musungu, who studied at Nangina Girls High School in Busia County and achieved a C+ grade, is currently unable to pick up her certificates because of an outstanding fee balance of KSh 108,585.
Speaking during an interview, Musungu explained her predicament: “Niko na balance ya Sh 108,585 na nimejaribu kufuatilia nikaambiwa nifanye fundraising,” she said, which translates to, “I have a balance of KSh 108,585 and when I followed up, I was told to do a fundraiser.”
Musungu’s struggles began after completing her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) at Sikariria Primary School, where she scored 320 marks.
Her mother recounted that a well-wisher had initially promised to pay for Nancy’s secondary school fees but only managed to cover one year before disappearing.
“A generous person came forward and said they would sponsor her until she finished Form Four, but they only paid for the first and second terms, then vanished,” Nancy’s mother, Gaudensia, explained, adding that it had been a struggle to keep her in school until she completed her secondary education.
“After finishing school, I went to Nairobi to look for a job as a housemaid. I worked for four months but wasn’t paid, so I returned home and decided to wait for the next move,” Nancy Musungu recalled.
The Musungu family currently lives on the grace of daily labor, as Nancy’s father is mentally handicapped. Nancy and her mother now fear that the four years of education might go to waste if they do not find any well-wishers to help clear the arrears.
“Anyone who hears me speaking this way, please help me so that I can continue with my education because I wish to reach a point where I can change my family’s situation. If I continue to sit here, I don’t see how we can help each other,” Nancy painfully narrated.