With just five days to the admission date for students joining Form One, a girl from Alego Usonga in Siaya County is in distress after she was called to join a boys' boarding school in Nairobi City County.
Gloria Adhiambo Owino, 14, schooled at Nyalgunga Primary School and scored 389 marks in the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exams.
But in a sad twist, she has since learnt that she was erroneously placed to join Lenana School, a boys' school.
"This is the calling letter I got. I didn't know it was a boys' school. I only realized that it was not a girls' school when I realized that I was supposed to buy a pair of trousers," said Gloria.
Initially, she recalled, she was very happy to learn that her marks had secured her a big school in Nairobi.
However, sadness descended upon her family when they later learned of the mistake.
"People were happy that I was called to a good school but sadness set in and we have been defeated to even seek financial help that my family so needs to facilitate my joining of high school," said Gloria.
Gloria says that she has not received any other calling letter.
This is so even as the little girl told The Star that she had selected Alliance Girls, Kisumu Girls and Starehe Girls and was hoping to be placed at any one of them.
The other schools she selected include Rang'ala, Sinaga, and Sega Girls schools and Ulafu and Kowet Secondary schools.
Since Class One, Gloria recalled, she worked so hard and was always position one.
She maintained the top position except in Class Seven where another student, for once, pushed her to position two.
"I worked so hard hoping that one day I will transform this village of Nyalgunga when I finally become a lecturer who teaches sciences at the University," she said.
Even so, Gloria is not certain whether she will join Form One even if the mistake is corrected.
Reason? Her parents, who work as farmhands for meagre wages, cannot afford to finance her education.
"I would like to join Kisumu Girls High School but I am afraid because my parents may not take me there due to lack of school fees," she said.
Her mother, Margret Awuor Alowe said that they applied for Wings to Fly, KCB and Elimu scholarships but were unsuccessful.
Also, the parent said, that they lacked the knowledge on which door to knock to have the Lenana mix-up corrected until when a friend linked her to the media team in Siaya.
Accordingly, they called on the Ministry of Education to correct the mistake and well-wishers to consider supporting her to continue with her schooling.