42-Year-Old Woman Earns a Degree After 24 Years of Perseverance.
Kezziah Muchiri, now 42, first took the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in 2000, but a mix of financial hardship, illness, inadequate government support, and other life challenges delayed her academic progress.
Last week, after years of persistence, she finally graduated from Meru University of Science and Technology (MUST) with a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) degree. Her achievement marked the culmination of a journey spanning 24 years.
Kezziah’s father and four siblings traveled from Kandara, Murang’a, to celebrate her achievement, aware of the many obstacles she had faced.
Her academic pursuit began when her firstborn child was in Class Two, and over the years, her daughter often joked about completing high school before Kezziah finished her degree.
The support and motivation from her family played a crucial role in her determination to succeed.
Financial Struggles and Academic Delays
Despite her initial goal of graduating around 2005, her peasant parents lacked the means to finance her university education after she completed her KCSE.
Consequently, she faced a long struggle before reaching her first major academic milestone. However, her ambition did not stop there; Kezziah has set her sights on earning a master’s degree and a PhD, undeterred by her age.
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Currently, Kezziah works as an accountant at a local vocational training center, earning a modest Sh10,000.
She remains optimistic about finding a better-paying job to support her family and fund her further education. She hopes to pursue her master’s and PhD to fulfill her academic dreams.
Kezziah’s path to higher education was not straightforward. In 2000, like her siblings, she struggled academically, achieving a C grade in KCSE, which was insufficient for university admission.
Determined to improve, she repeated the KCSE exams in 2001 and attained a B-minus, qualifying for a Bachelor of Arts (Education).
However, her family’s limited resources prevented her from enrolling, as her father had already spent his earnings from their small tea farm on her sisters’ school fees.
Working to Save for Education
With no university prospects, Kezziah’s father arranged for her to take a two-month computer course, after which she began working as a housemaid in Embu to save money.
Given her strong performance in mathematics, she enrolled in a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) program at Murang’a College of Technology in 2004, completing Sections I and II before running out of funds. Faced with ongoing financial challenges, she returned to work as a housemaid.
In 2006, frustrations led Kezziah to get married, but the marriage was short-lived. Driven by a renewed determination to achieve her academic goals, she found work again as a housemaid in Meru.
Her fortunes took a positive turn in January 2009 when she secured a position as an accountant-cum-secretary at Buuri High School, where she also taught Mathematics.
At Buuri High School, the principal, Laban Mutwiri, encouraged Kezziah to continue pursuing her dream of earning a degree. With his support, she decided to retake the KCSE exams.
Balancing work and study, she worked in the office during the weekdays and dedicated her evenings and weekends to studying. The teachers at the school assisted her in subjects like Physics, Literature, and Kiswahili.
Academic Success at Last
In 2011, Kezziah sat for the KCSE for the third time and achieved an impressive mean grade of B+ with A’s in Mathematics, CRE, and Agriculture.
This success paved the way for her to enroll at MUST and, over the years, complete her degree while raising her children and working.
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Despite the long and arduous path to her first degree, Kezziah remains committed to advancing her education. She is determined to pursue both a master’s degree and a PhD to fulfill her aspiration of being the best she can be.
Her journey serves as a testament to resilience, illustrating that with persistence and support, even the most challenging goals can be achieved.
42-Year-Old Woman Earns a Degree After 24 Years of Perseverance.
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