Thomas Owino now an employee of a top global company recalls lacking school fees for his secondary school.
Owino was born in a family of 7, in Manyatta slums, Kisumu where he studied at Manyatta Primary.
He, however, defied the odds after scoring 435 marks, he was position 13 in the country.
"My mum was a tailor, my father bumped into a scholarship advert by Jomo Kenyatta Foundation then we applied," Owino said.
Owino is among more than 160,000 JKF scholarship beneficiaries who came together and formed an association.
He was a beneficiary from 2002-2005 when he was selected to join Mang'u High.
"JKF paid my school fees for four years, and I am grateful," he said.
But all was not well for Owino after he lost his dad in 2004.
He was in Form 3.
The situation crippled the state of the family but he pushed forward and completed his Form 4 studies.
"The fee was Sh29,000 which was a lot of money then, but thanks to the scholarship I was able to finish my secondary school," Owino said.
After his secondary education, he still trounced all odds and garnered a Grade A plain, earning him a slot at the University of Nairobi.
He studied Bachelors degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering for five years.
"At UoN, I met other beneficiaries who I was with at Mangu and came up with an association to help two sets of needy students," he said.
The alumni association chips in to sort varsity fees whenever there are exchequer delays on student loans.
Owino has been the chair of the association since 2017, and he said they support two students annually.
"We offer mentorship for beneficiaries, we go to school and encourage them. Then from members' contribution, we fully sponsor two students," he said.
This year, the rigorous selection process involved some members of the association.
JKF received the highest number of applications which is more than 11,000.
"We were deployed across the country to help through the selection process by identifying needy students," he said.
This year, 3,000 students will benefit from scholarships worth Sh1.1 billion.
