This is the touching story of a young girl, Purity Wechuli, one vivacious nineteen year old go-getter from Bukembe, Bungoma County, Kenya.
By Isaac Manje
Brought up in a family of two siblings, Purity’s father abandoned her and her little brother when she was just 4 years old, marking the beginning of her difficult, yet intriguing journey. Left to fend for her young family on her own, it became increasingly difficult for Purity’s mother to make ends meet. This forced her to take Purity and her younger brother to their grandfather in a village in Kabula area, Bungoma, as she sought alternative means to put bread on their table. Life there was nothing near easy. Purity had juggle between school, chores and caring for her aging and sickly grandmother who was diabetic and hypertensive.
Purity’s mother left Bukembe and travelled all the way to the Capital City to work as a housemaid. With her meagre wages, she struggled to cater for the basic needs and school fees of her two children who were hosted by their grandfather back in the village. Purity narrates how she would sometimes be forced to stay away from school for two full terms when her mother was totally unable to raise her school fees. She remembers this vividly while in class 4.
Her mother continued with her housemaid jobs under different employers, struggling to take Purity through her primary education. Purity say that it is through God’s grace that she overcame these challenges and completed her primary education, passing with 371 marks out of the possible 500, and securing admission at Kolanya Girls’ High School. Joining secondary school was another nightmare for Purity considering the amount of fees that was required. Even her closest relatives were nowhere to assist her at that time of dire need. Circumstances forced her to go for the only affordable option at that time, Naburereya Secondary School, a local day secondary school near her grandfather’s home where she would walk to and fro.
Purity only studied at Naburereya for one month before securing a scholarship from the County Government of Bungoma to study at Kolanya Girls’ High School where she had been first placed. Her journey at Kolanya was not all rosy. Right from the onset, getting all the admission and accommodation requirements proved futile. Her mother got into massive debts to get her the basics that allowed her to settle in school. The situation was so dire that Purity would sometimes be forced to remain in school when her schoolmates went home for the holidays to be with their families. Her mother could barely afford fare for her to come home and return to school after the holidays, hence preferring that she stays in school. Such hardships endured by Purity were her sole motivation to work hard and succeed in her studies.
From a young age, Purity had always aspired to work in the medical field. Her passion in this helped her lay a firm foundation towards realizing this aspiration. Her sole ambition was to ensure that despite her hardships, she becomes the first person from her extended family to become a medical professional. Purity’s passion for the medical field was mostly driven by her desire to save lives and help those with health issues.
After 4 hectic years of sheer perseverance, persistence and hard work, Purity performed quite well in her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education, scoring an impressive grade of A-. Her joy was only short-lived as she immediately started worrying about the possibility of proceeding to the next stage of her education, higher education. Things did not get any easier. Her mother lost her housemaid job just after Purity had completed her secondary education. Imagining that her education journey would have to end at that stage threw Purity into depression.
Her mother’s desire to see her two children succeed pushed her to her limits. She took Purity and her younger brother from their grandfather’s home and returned to their village in Bukembe. Here, she began preparing and selling mandazis along the roadside to ensure that Purity’s younger brother completed his basic education. Purity could not sit back and watch her education dream die. She stepped up a looked for a low-paying job at a local hotel to supplement the little income that her mother got.
Her exemplary performance meant that the conversation of joining university could not be swept under the carpet. Considering her family situation, she had very little hope of joining. Her desire to pursue a course in the medical profession began to look like a farfetched dream, considering the high fees associated with such courses. However, her passion did not die. She remembered her days as a young girl, nursing her sick grandmother and watching medics take care of her in hospital, and decided to take the bold step of applying for a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing.
Purity walked to several government offices and approached a good number of local politicians whom she hoped would intervene and offer some help. None of them was forthcoming. When the time came for her to join university, there were no finances available to facilitate her. The little that her mother ended up feeding them and taking her small brother to school. Her local church was touched when she shared her plight and some members contributed some money to assist her, though it was nowhere near enough.
Deferment of her studies became the only available option for Purity. She had not managed to get any of the admission requirements, which were quite many and expensive, considering that she had been admitted to a medical course. She deferred her studies for one academic year in order to buy some time, with the hopes that things would get better someday.
Waking up in the cold wee hours of the night to go to her hotel job had to stop because her chest became severely affected by these adverse conditions. She joined her mother in selling mandazis by the roadside, though this was still not enough considering that her younger brother was still in school. Never giving up, her mother turned to roasting and selling maize, while Purity handled the mandazis next to her.
By this time, Purity was a prime youth in her teenage years. The unique challenges that come with this stage are well known, but she was able to overcome them due to the disciplined and Godly way that she had been raised both by her mother and grandparents. There was no hope in sight for things getting better, but Purity never despaired.
One day, during her routine of preparing mandazis by the roadside, a gentleman named Charles who was buying her mandazis inquired why Purity was not in school despite her good grades. Purity’s explanation touched Charles, whose son was being sponsored by Strathmore University to pursue his studies. This prompted him to link Purity with another gentleman named Evans who travelled all the way to her home and witnessed firsthand the dire situation there.
Determined to see Purity in school, Evans introduced her to Professor. Izael Pereira Da Silva, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation at Strathmore University. Prof. Da Silva was touched by her story and stepped in to assist Purity enroll in the course she had been initially placed at Dedan Kimathi University. Being many miles away from home, accommodation and transport were still a major challenge. The idea of applying to be transferred to a university near home crossed her mind. It is here that Professor Donald Namasaka Siamba, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Finance and Development at Kibabii University came in handy. Purity successfully transferred to Kibabii University, which was only a few kilometers from her home to pursue the course of her dreams, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing.
Purity reported to Kibabii University on 18th September, 2023. She is forever indebted to all those who came to her rescue. She hopes to complete her studies and give back to her community in greater measure. Strathmore University and Kibabii University continue to walk her journey with her to date and she continues to receive enormous support from Strathmore University through Prof. Da Silva amidst the challenges she continues to face. Any support accorded to her by other well-wishers will go a long way in helping cater for her fees, accommodation, and upkeep, as she struggles to realize her dreams and full potential.
