Embakasi East MP Paul Ongili, popularly known as Babu Owino came to the rescue of a student from The University of Nairobi, who was alleged to have dropped out of school due to lack of fees.
In a tweet posted on Wednesday, October 23, Babu reported that the student had resorted to menial jobs to raise his fee balance, and announced his willingness to help.
"If anyone knows the whereabouts of this comrade who dropped from the university to be a watchman because of lack of fees to alert me. I want to help him complete his studies," he wrote.
His passionate calls triggered a plethora of comments and reactions that brought to the fore the reality of unemployment in a country where close to 80 per cent of the population is below the age of 35.
Some Facebook users called upon the youthful MP to sponsor them to complete their schooling, stating that they had found themselves in the same hole as the person he was looking for. Others asked him to step in and use his influence to help them market their services.
A young man working in an informal car upholstery shed beseeched Owino to give in a good word concerning his work, to other legislators to enable him get forward in his vocation.
"Intervene for me to get such contracts with your fellow MPs, institutions or government. This is my humble request to you mheshimiwa," he wrote, sharing a picture of his works.
Some netizens on Twitter called upon him to invoke his powers as an MP to ensure that the issue of students being forced out of school over fees was a thing of the past.
"Quite impressive. To solve the larger problem of tuition fees across the country and many cases that go unreported, sponsor a bill that seeks to raise the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) allocations to reflect the current economic conditions in the country," one posed.
Other users expressed the opinion that even after completing school, the student could still end up at the same spot, stating that the papers would not make much of a difference.
"Just give him a job instead. There is no guarantee that he will get a job should he go back to class. By the way, many of us graduates [sic] are watchmen," a user claimed.
Babu Owino could not be reached for comment on the matter.
