A student who scored grade A- in the 2019 KCSE examinations has been unable to secure an opportunity to pursue higher education for the last three years.

Nehemiah Koech was one of more than half a million candidates who sat for the 2019 KCSE exams; he had big dreams of becoming a cardiologist.

However, with ailing parents unable to afford a college education, his dream of setting foot in a university to pursue that much desired career path has been slipping away.

When Citizen Digital visited him, we found Nehemiah in the middle of fixing a septic tank; it’s one of the odd jobs he engages in while balancing his other work as a security guard.

After performing exceptionally well in the national examinations, these are hardly the tools a future cardiologist would want to be using.

Nehemiah was a beneficiary of the Cooperative Bank student sponsorship program that supported him while at Baringo Boys High School.

“After I got my results I was supposed to go to St. Pauls University to study Computer Science. But when I went to the bank to see if they would sponsor me, the bank said the funds for sponsorship beyond high school had dried up due to COVID-19," says Nehemiah.

He was persistent, however, reaching out to every connection possible; this quickly turned into a series of promises and dead ends.

“I tried to talk to people who would connect me to the MCAs. Every person I would reach out to would commit to do something but not actually complete the journey," he says.

Nehemiah’s visits to different institutions from the Ministry of Education county headquarters in Eldoret all the way to the Office of the Governor proved futile.

"So I decided to get a job. I found someone who had some rentals and needed a watchman. They agreed to pay me Ksh.200 a day. I also do some odd jobs so I don’t remain idle," he narrates.

That comes to Ksh.6,000 a month, which Nehemiah hopes will help support his three younger sisters who are in need of funds for school as well.

Despite all this, his dream to one day become a cardiologist hasn’t died.

"I don’t feel good, but I still work hard and I still have that hope that something will change," he adds.

Until that change comes, Nehemiah does what he can to put food on the table and secure a better future for his siblings.