Woman Who Dropped Out in 2006 Finally Finishes High School at 32
- Purity Nkatha dropped out of school in 2006 and moved in with her aunt in Malindi where she started working in bars and restaurants
- In 2014, she met an activist online and after their conversation, the activist decided to pay for her school fees
- She is now celebrating after scoring a B+ in the 2020 KCSE
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In 2006, Purity Nkatha thought her dreams were shattered when violence at her home forced her to drop out of school and move in with her aunt.
Source: Facebook
She was schooling at Kisima Mixed Secondary School in Meru county when her mother took her to stay with her aunt in Malindi.
Speaking to the Standard, the mother of one who is now celebrating after scoring a B+ in the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) recalled she had to start working in bars and restaurants to keep her head above the water.
Met an activist online
In 2014, she started following an activist who champions the rights of women and girls women on social media, Irene Kendi, and she was moved by her work.
She would later text her on messenger and after their conversation, Kendi decided to pay for her school fees and in 2018, she went back to school for the first time since 2006.
"I got married in 2013 and got a baby in 2014. I went back to school in 2018 when Ms Kendi, who I have never met in person, offered to take me back to school. Kendi was paying school fees while my husband was paying fare and catering for my basic needs,” she said.
Impressive results
And now, her hard work has finally paid off. Nkatha had an A in Christian Religious Education, an A-minus in Business Studies, an A-minus in History and a B+ in Kiswahili.
The 32-year-old was studying at the Magumoni High School in Tharaka Nithi.
She is now looking forward to taking up a course in nursing or education.
KCSE results
During the official release of the results at Nairobi's Mitihani House, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha said at least 747,161 candidates sat for the exam which began on March 26, 2021.
Of the 747,161 candidates, 380,327 were males, the remaining 366,834 represented the females.
Magoha indicated that 893 candidates were able to score an A (plain), an improvement compared to 2019 when 627 candidates scored the honoured grade.
Further, the CS said a total of 143, 140 scored university entry grades compared to 125,747 in 2019.
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