She is a first born in a family of six. She cleared high school last year and to sustain her family and facilitate her dream, she is selling porridge to raise her college fee. Zipporah Njoki alias Zinjo is her name. What is most interesting is not what she is doing now but what she is enduring to be the person of her dream. Her story kicks off like any other ordinary Kenyan kid, but a little bit on the way it got a major twist.
The start of her problems
Zipporah's problems started back in 2014 when her father, who was working as a Matatu driver, was arrested arraigned in court and jailed. She never knew that her life was tangled just like that of her father and it was going to be a major twist in her life. She narrates it like it was yesterday and deep within her story, there is a series of unfortunate events unfolding one after the other.
leaving school
"I was expelled from school because of ksh 12000 school fees arrears and I went home to at least have a reasonable amount that could help me be in school at a particular time before we could clear the school fees. That day I met my mom and told her that I was expelled" narrates Zinjo almost in tears.
Also read https://journerlist.blogspot.com/2017/12/was-uhuru-misadvised-on-hsc.html
"That was the day Mom disclosed to us what had happened to Dad. He was arrested and police were demanding at least ksh 70,000 to let him free"
Because the family could not afford the amount of cash, her mother advised her to quit school and at least give a hand on the family responsibilities that were weighing heavily on her mom's shoulder who was selling groceries before her business bowed to the pressure of sustaining family needs and collapsed.
"I was disappointed but I knew one day I will go back to school and achieve my goal". Zinjo says.
That is not the end of her story. Zinjo was Lucy to join another school, Governor Secondary School, which had just started.
The school fees challenge did not end there. She had to work as a casual labourer to pay her school fees and sustain her family as a firstborn.
After clearing high school last year 2017, Zinjo had to work a cleaner in a hotel at Mai Mahiu at Pork City and peeling potatoes and many other places.
Zinjo received a call from her friend that there was a wines and spirits job at Kiondo near Pipeline in Nakuru County.
"I feared to work with drunkards. I was young and I had never thought of such a job but afterwards, I found it normal. Besides, I needed money and I had to rear my family" Zinjo explains.
Her journey to saving ksh 13000 has not been that simple. She is now selling porridge and has high hopes of joining a college in September. Can we make her dream come true? Is she the next Uji Lady?
By Edwin Mwangi
edwinmwangi20@gmail.com
0716255391
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