Joshua Munene, a boy from Lugari Station in Lugari Sub-County, Kakamega County, who has been working in people’s farms as a casual to raise fees to join secondary school, is asking for help.
The boy, 17, is raised by a single mother in a family of six in a rented room at the shopping center.
Joshua scored 238 marks in the KCPE 2022 at Lugari Township Primary Township and was called to join St. Paul’s Boys Lugari High School, a chance he missed despite efforts to secure it through applying for bursaries and seeking the help of well-wishers.
Her mother, Maximillar Upiendo, sells peanuts, a business that she said is unpredictable and precarious, leaving her struggling to cater for her family’s needs, which has forced her family to work as casuals to earn a living.
The mother said Joshua himself has been working tirelessly to raise fees and has only managed to get a measly Sh1,200 since the planting season began.
In Lugari, farm casuals are normally paid Sh200 for about five hours of back-breaking work.
“Their father abandoned us. He went looking for a job in 2013 and since then has never returned,” the mother said.
Sam Oduor is the editor-in-chief at the Western Kenya Times who leverages the power of the Internet in telling stories that shape opinions.
