Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has intervened hours after Citizen TV aired a story featuring Edna Mwango, a medical student at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) who works as a hawker by night in Kisii.
Taking to his official channels on Thursday, March 20, Sakaja promised to cover all the school fees and upkeep for the rest of her studies.
"I will sponsor her studies and her upkeep. She is doing everything she can to stay in school. Edna’s determination is admirable, and we will ensure she achieves her dream of becoming a doctor,” Sakaja confirmed to Citizen TV.
The 23-year-old who hawks vegetables on the streets of Kisii town to afford her school fees has had to grapple with several adversities including deferring her studies twice.
Mwango was brought up by her grandparents and turned to hawking as a last resort to raise funds. She relies on a quarter-acre of land they own to grow the produce she later sells.
"I do not have money. I plant vegetables and Napier grass. Since I enrolled in school, I have faced many challenges, like balancing work and attending school," Mwango lamented.
She is pursuing orthopaedic and trauma medicine, and hawking vegetables at night is the only way she can take care of her needs, although the pay is too meagre to cover her school fees.
The Principal of KMTC Kisii Campus, Daniel Onsate, added that the school was aware of her predicament and was looking for someone willing to help cover her school fees.
"She has a problem. She has had a problem raising fees by doing funny jobs which she is not supposed to do, including selling tomatoes and vegetables at the place where she is staying," Principal Onsate stated.
"This is very dehumanising for our student, but she has been persevering and doing it, so we are aware she is looking for anybody who is willing to assist her to be able to foot the fee balance that she is having."
The Principal's call has since been answered by Governor Sakaja, who in his pledge revealed that his administration would cover her bills.
Sakaja hoped that, with the burden lifted, Mwango could now focus entirely on her dream.
