An aviation student has narrated how his dream of flying came down crashing and was kicked out of school despite President Uhuru Kenyatta paying his school fees.
Gilbert Kipkorir was admitted to Skylink Aviation School that is based at Wilson Airport Nairobi after scoring Grade B in his KCSE.
He struggled to raise money for fees working as a tout, a cook and even hawking deworming tablets.
“When I showed my mother the letter, she asked me if the Ksh 4.5 million written on it was the number of the aircraft I was going to fly,” he narrated.
The school allowed him to train with them after paying Ksh70,000 in 2014.
He returned home to look for more money and raised another Ksh200,000 that helped him fly for 10 hours before another Ksh66,000 was raised by villagers and friends at Bomet Stadium.
At the height of the 2017 campaigns, Deputy President William Ruto donated Ksh144,000 before President Kenyatta committed to clearing the remaining Ksh3.7 million.
“I was called to the dais and the President told me to give my details to his private secretary, Jomo Gechaga, he paid Ksh3.7 million to cater for my entire college fees. Hamud Suleiman (Skylink CEO) confirmed that the fees had been cleared,” recalled Gilbert.
In 2018, his 13-member aviation class was taken to Malindi for practicals. Two months down the line, they were informed that the school had been closed.
While in Malindi, their belongings were confiscated by the hotel the school had checked them into after non-payment of bills.
They were later allowed to join another aviation school, Alpha, which told Gilbert that the fees paid to his previous school, Skylink was not transferrable.
In March 2019, he was kicked out of the institution over arrears. “I cry whenever I imagine how the president’s Ksh3.7 million paid for my school fees disappeared,” Gilbert lamented.
When contacted by The Standard, Skylink CEO who started another aviation school, responded “Yes the school closed, and I am aware of students who had paid their fees including the one sponsored by the president...Gilbert had not finished his theory exams, I even asked him along with other students and parents to write letters for the money to be refunded.”
Bomet Woman Representative Joyce Korir has promised to ensure that the directors of the aviation school refund the money.
