When Mercy Mueni joined The Technical University of Mombasa in 2016, her goal was singular: to graduate with a summa cum laude, first-class honours.
She put effort and stayed true to her dreams. In February this year, she was announced as the best female student in the university's class of 2020.
"I knew that I wanted to score the best grades and get a first-class," she said.
"I was motivated by two factors. One, I had failed to score an A in my KCSE exams, and I wanted a first-class so badly to compensate for that failure.
"Secondly, I knew that getting first-class would open doors, and thus help me change the situation back at home because I come from a destitute family."
Upon graduation, she was awarded a degree of merit for her excellence in class, and was promised a scholarship to pursue a master's degree in the same institution. However, the university has denied her claim that it promised her a scholarship.
"I wanted to do a master's in business administration because my bachelor's degree was in business management," she said.
The scholarship was to be awarded soon after graduation, she said, but nine months later, she is yet to see the university fulfil its promise.
"I followed up on the matter for long until it reached a point I started losing hope in it altogether," she said.
"They asked me to write my application for the programme, which I did. I attached my documents and waited.
"Since then, they keep on telling me that the university got affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and it is yet to recover from the effects."
The last time she inquired into the matter was in September, and she was told to wait still until things get better.
"But now, for how long can one keep waiting for this? To worsen things, the university does not communicate with me unless I disturb them," she said.
Sensing foul play or indefinite delay of her former university's promise, she started looking for other scholarships from universities abroad. However, she found them to be very expensive, even with the 50 per cent fee waiver.
Mueni said her mother was elated by the news of her daughter getting a scholarship, but since then, the happiness has morphed to worry, hatred and despondency.
"Mother was so happy when I broke the news to her. She saw it as a great sign of success and breakthrough. But since then, she keeps asking me about the scholarship until it pains me. She is obviously frustrated," she said.
I feel bad that genuine hard work can go unrewarded. This should be avoided if at all young students in college are to be motivated
'NO SUCH PROMISE'
When reached for comment, the university's deputy vice-chancellor in charge of academics, research and extension denied Mueni's claims.
"We didn't promise anyone a scholarship. Every year, we recognise best performers by giving them certificates of recognition, but we don't give scholarships," Prof Peter Gichangi said.
He narrated a single unique case where the university offered a scholarship to a top former student.
"In the previous year, the top student was disabled. He graduated with a first-class and the chairman of the university council awarded him a scholarship. That's the only instance when we have given a scholarship to a top performer," he said.
Prof Gichangi said the university values and encourages good performance, but it is limited by financial constraints in awarding its students.
Mueni is the firstborn in a family of five. She is also the second person in the extended family to make it to university. That alone, she said, set her apart and as an example to be emulated by her other siblings and cousins.
She now sells household items in the streets of Mombasa, a thing that she is not happy with but does to meet her needs and those of her family back home.
"I work with a certain sales company. My work, like others, is to go to the streets and convince people to buy the products we have," she said.
"We start work at 8am to 5pm every day. We are paid on commission based on the sales one makes.
"The highest I have made in a day is Sh2,000, but more often than not, it is much lower than that. It is not something I can recommend but now I have to do it."
Mueni lives alone in Likoni, Mombasa, and she has to feed herself and try to support her mother and siblings who are in school.
"I don't make much money but I have to work harder notwithstanding. I have to pay my bills and help my mother to pay my siblings' school fees, even if it means helping her with Sh2,000," she said.
STRUGGLING MUM
Mueni's mother has been the pillar of the family, even though she has no job. She does casual labour at her rural home in Makueni county.
"My mother paid my school fee by selling cereals such as green grams to my former high school, and the money went direct to my fee. But now, there are many more siblings in school and I know she strains a lot," she said.
The father has been absent since Mueni was in Class 4.
"I can't even remember him. He left us when we were very young. Before then, he used to be a matatu conductor. I hear nowadays he is into women and drinking, but I have never seen him since he left," she said.
Mueni said after graduation, she had hoped to get an internship and later a job in her line of study, while doing her master's degree studies in the evening. None of those objectives has been achieved yet, but she is hopeful still.
"Sometimes I feel like giving up completely. I feel bad that genuine hard work can go unrewarded. This should be avoided if at all young students in college are to be motivated," she said.
"That said, however much I may feel like throwing in, I can't. My goals keep me going. The desire to take care of my mother, brothers and sisters pushes me when I'm down. I have to work no matter what comes my way."
Her plea to the University of Mombasa is to offer her any job on campus so she can earn, and in a master's degree, even if it means paying for the programme.
Prof Gichangi regretted that that may not happen due to the financial problems the institution is going through.
"Inasmuch as there is a need to employ more staff, especially in the academic field, it is not possible for now due to financial constraints. Besides, the government has frozen employments as we speak," he said.
Edited by T Jalio