January 8, 2024 will forever be one of the happiest days in Dominic Kiriago's life.

This is the day when, after four years of hard work and burning the midnight oil, his efforts finally paid off when the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results were released and he learned that he had scored an impressive B plain of 64 points in his final exams.

Dominic was filled with joy, especially as he is the first born in a family of three, raised by a single father.

However, his joy was quickly replaced by worry and a future shrouded in uncertainty.

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Coming from a humble background, Dominic is aware that his father, who works as a security guard, will not be able to afford to send him to university to pursue his dream career and keep his younger siblings in school at the same time.

"I was brought up by a single father after my mother abandoned us when I was only in grade 4," says Dominic.

Suddenly faced with the burden of providing for his three children, Dominic's father decided to move his children to Kisii.

"We returned to Nakuru a year later and moved to Kaptembwo. The reality of how difficult things were back home did not hit me until I was in senior high school," says the 18-year-old.

with this reality Dominic decided to do his best at school and work hard at his studies.

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"I could see how hard my father was working to provide for his three children. I decided to do my best at school so that I could get good grades, go to university and later get a good job to help my father," he said.

Driven by the emptiness of a mother who left and the many nights they slept hungry, Dominic worked hard to earn a place at St John Nyamagwa High School in Kisii, where he sat his final secondary school exams.

When asked what he would like to study at university, he says he would like to study nursing.

"Growing up, I always wanted to be a doctor or at least study nursing. Apart from helping to improve my family's economic status, another motivation for choosing this course is to be able to treat people from low-income areas who, like us, cannot afford basic healthcare," says Dominic.

Read: Nakuru farmer's son excels in KCSE, scores A of 84 points

However, the biggest hurdle standing in the way of his dream is funding.

Dominic fears that he will be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice of staying at home so that the little money his father earns can be used to send his younger siblings to school.

"If God does not open doors for me, I may have to give up my dreams of going to university so that my siblings can continue with their schooling," says Dominic.

Speaking to Mtaa Wangu, his father Jason Ayenda says: "As a father, it breaks my heart not to be able to support my child's dreams. My only prayer is that God will come through and touch the hearts of well-wishers to help Dominic go to university."

diligenceodongo@gmail.com

KCSE student who scored B plain afraid he will not be able to achieve his dream of becoming a nurse due to lack of university fees

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Diligence Odongo