Not so old: Mother of two gets university admission, 20 years later

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Not so old: Mother of two gets university admission, 20 years later
By Phares Mutembei 
In September 2026, thirty-nine-year-old Betty Nyamai was among more than 9,000 first year students who trooped to the Tharaka University in Tharaka Nithi county.
It was 20 years after she had sat and passed her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) at Ikutha Girls in Kitui county, and she says she is determined to study well in the four years she will be at the institution before graduating in 2030.
According to her, she never knew her father but her mother who was a Class Eight pupil when she delivered, left her under the care of her grandparents, both now deceased.
Her poverty-stricken family could not afford to take her to university, and it is only a few months ago the women group at Kathwana PCEA learnt about her toils and raised money to enable her join Tharaka University.
"I am doing a Degree in Education (English and Literature). Though my fellow students are much younger than me, we are relating very well. They respect me just as I respect them, and the same applies to the good lecturers and others in the university," she told The Standard.
"I leave my children in the house. My daughter is eight years and the younger one is three years. Since finances remain a challenge, she takes care of the baby when I go to school," Ms Nyamai noted.
She lives at Marimanti and walks eight kilometres to the main campus, leaving the children to fend for themselves because she cannot afford a maid.
"My mother was in Class Eight when she gave birth to me, and she left me with my grandparents. She went on to complete Form Four and then got married,” she revealed.
Nyamai said according to the stories told to her, she never got the opportunity to be breastfed by her mother.
"I was told that it was my grandmother who breastfed me, because she and my mother had got babies almost at the same time," she said, adding, "I would really be happy if I can get assistance to pay my university fees. It is a big challenge. I am very committed to study, graduate and get a job, so that I can take care of my children.”
She said her grandparents died shortly after she completed her high school education, three months apart.
"I am very happy because I had almost given up on my dream to go to university. I thank God for that. I am feeling fine and studying well. Studying comes easy for me," she said.

"I got a C-plus in KCSE in 2006 at Ikutha Girls in Kitui county."
She said she is currently married to someone from Tharaka, who is searching for a job after his construction job ended. 
“We had Iived in Mombasa and Kilifi but after he became jobless and life became unbearable, we went back to his rural home," she said.
According to Jane Kiura, leader of the women guild at Kathwana PCEA, they learnt Nyamai had attained university grade marks in KCSE and vowed to assist her realise her dream of becoming a teacher.
"We had not known she was a university material. We were seeing her move around the village to wash clothes and clean houses to earn some coins to feed her two children. One of the women in our church invited her to our church to be praying with us," said Ms Kiura, the Chairperson of Christian Education at the church.
"When we get a new member, we conduct an interview to get their education background for our church records. When we realised she had passed KCSE 20 years ago, we discussed a way to get her to university," she said.
The women raised fees to cover a semester, accommodation, and bought beddings and clothes for Nyamai's children.
"Our thinking was that even if she graduates at 45, she would still be employable."
The women took her to university and they were lucky Nyamai got an admission, after the management understood her situation.
The fees amount to around Sh64, 000 and efforts to apply for Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) it was not successful.
"We have some fee balance to clear so that she can do the examinations from December 6. Then they have to reopen on January 4. Our wish is to partner with any well-wishers so that we can assist Nyamai to successfully complete her course. She is very committed and walks eight km to school,” she said.
The women raised Sh43,000 to enable her resume her academic journey.