19-year-old boy finally lands varsity scholarship after 2 years at home

After spending two years at home unable to join university after sitting his KCSE exams, joy finally visited a young man from Turkana County after he was awarded full scholarship to study medicine and Surgery at Uzima University in Kisumu.

Calvin Esekon, 19, had been unable to join the university due to luck of school fees.

Esekon could not hide his joy when he received his admission letter to the university, paving way for him to finally pursue his dream of becoming a medical doctor.

He will pursue the course for the next six years.

Esekon sat his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) at Lodwar High School and scored mean grade A- (Minus).

He received a letter to join Uzima University for a medical course but due to lack of school fees, he stayed at home.

Esekon said he made several attempts to get help from well-wishers, CDF and even HELB to no avail.

He resorted to doing menial jobs like construction of huts within his village in an attempt to try and raise school fees but he never raised enough from the venture.

Esekon told the media how life has been unbearable for the last two years that he failed to join Uzima University where he was to be admitted.

"I have been staying at home for two years and it has not been easy. I was stressed and traumatised while slowly losing hope in life, but now I'm grateful to Uzima University for offering me a second chance to study," he said.

Esekon said he was happy for getting this scholarship because his parents are poor and were unable to afford his fees for his medical training.

Uzima University Chancellor Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth said he got to know about the student's plight after it was highlighted in one of the TV stations and the message relayed to him by his driver.

"When I watched news and saw the kind of menial jobs he was doing including constructing some of the thatched houses within his area, I said this student must be given opportunity to join the institution and pursue his course," the man of God said.

He noted that he rang the Vice Chancellor and informed him about the case and immediately offered that the student be admitted.

"I'm happy that I have received him today during his admission to the school and most of the things required will come from the Uzima University Foundation that is aimed at helping such needy cases, "he said.

"Whatever we are going to afford will come from this foundation and even from our various partners that we source support from across all corners of the globe to aid such kind of students."

The Chancellor, however, noted that medicine was not an easy course and told the student to always stay focused, do what his lectures tell him during his learning period and by the end of it, he will be a great doctor.

"We want him to be a great doctor within his county from this institution to change the lives of his people," Archbishop Okoth said.

Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration, Finance and Planning Joseph Okal noted that he received a call from the Chancellor concerning Esekon's case and immediately started working on ways to locate him and admit him to the institution.

Okal said that with the student's grades from high school, he is optimistic that he will do very well because he has brains hence should be encouraged

"We want to assure the student of our support and to tell him that we believe in him and should make us proud when he finishes his six years of learning," he said.