Well-wishers across the globe on Saturday night raised the entire four-year school fees for Cate Wairimu, a 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) student who scored 305 marks.
During an online fundraiser, well-wishers raised the funds to cater for her academic and personal expenses to allow her to fully concentrate on her studies.
While the fundraiser organised by media personality Jeremy Damaris was ongoing, the young girl from Western Kenya revealed that her family was unable to cater for her education since her father had passed away while her mother was in jail.
This she said, forced her to move back home to Vihiga County and live with relatives.
She also remarked that she was the second born in the family with the responsibility of taking care of her youngest third-born sibling.
The firstborn, she revealed was job-hunting in Nairobi.
Her situation had left her in a dilemma on whether or not she would join high school and pursue her academic dreams.
On the brighter side, she also took the opportunity to reveal her future dreams stating that she aspires to become a lawyer where her main motivation is to represent disadvantaged people from vulnerable families.
Before well-wishers came through for her, Wairimu had been called to join Friends School Keveye Girls in Vihiga County. She is now scheduled to join the school on Monday, January 15.
Her school fees amount to approximately Ksh41,000 for one academic year.
"Cate from Western is now ready to join High School on Monday after we paid four years of school fees. Glory to God, all the best," Jeremy stated.
The student expressed her gratitude to the well-wishers who had made her dreams come true.
Away from the developments in her academic journey, Wairimu called for the release of her mother insisting that she was innocent and the accusations that sent her to jail were false.
According to the girl, her mother was accused of kidnapping after escorting a child to his mother's house at night. The child's mother had initially reported that her son had been missing which culminated in Wairimu's mother's arrest and conviction.
The student complained that the family did not have the financial muscle to hire a lawyer and set their mother free.
Cate is among the students whose humble backgrounds threatened their academic aspirations before well-wishers came through for them.
