"I cannot thank him enough!" 19-year-old Lavinia Mumbe struggled to contain her emotions — breaking down in between her words — while appreciating Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i for paying her entire university school fees.
"May God bless him," she added, while speaking to Kenyans.co.ke on Tuesday, August 17. Lavinia, an alumnus of Kalalu Girls High School in Nanyuki, scored a C+ in the 2019 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
For two years, the student sat in the cold, frustrated that her dream to alleviate her family from poverty kept withering day by day. As a firstborn in a family of three, both untold and unseen pressure weighed down on her shoulders.
The guilt of failing to assist her family and the pain of seeing her parents struggle to make ends meet shattered her heart.
Her parents are menial labourers who survive by hand to mouth. Lavinia Mumbe’s mother, Juliet Nduku, is a housewife tasked with nurturing the siblings while the father, Andrew Mwangi, works as a part-time caretaker in their estate, Kayole in Nairobi.
The father cleans apartments and chips in as a handyman for clients who seldom require his services.
In an attempt to assist her daughter, Nduku travelled from Kayole to Nairobi CBD to seek bursary aid from Senator Johnson Sakaja at his Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) offices.
She opted to stroll around after she was asked to wait for the youthful politician who was engaged in other errands outside his office.
"I know Sakaja would have assisted us had he been in the office. He has done so much for the youth," Lavinia stated.
As she took a walk at KICC narrating her issues to passers-by, an administration police officer (AP) attached to an unidentified politician who was in the vicinity directed her to visit CS Matiang'i's office at Sheria House.
The secretary recorded their details and asked them to return on Tuesday, August 17. She called them prior and told them that the CS was touched by their story and dedicated to ensuring the young girl completed her tertiary level.
"Matiang'i met us, and it was overwhelming to hear that he would clear my entire fees. He stated that he would pay directly via the bank.
"He also supported my mother with a token and advised me on how to be focused and disciplined in school. I am so grateful," Lavinia recalled.
The student added that she would complete her studies and graduate with a degree in Kiswahili and Communication at Laikipia University.
Her dream is to give back to society and prove to the CS that she was worth his support and belief.
"I would not be joining university. I will not let him down as I am a smart and hard worker," Lavinia promised.
